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-- Programs and Services -- Contact Information Breast cancer — the early bird catches the cure
By Karen Shreefter
When I had breast cancer, I asked every woman I met if she checked herself each month. The response was usually the same, “No.” The sheepish "no" was because she was afraid to find something. The confident no was because it all felt lumpy.
I often say, "My family doesn’t do heart disease; we do cancer." Our specialty is breast cancer, so I knew I was at high risk, but for years I didn’t check myself for the same reasons as everyone else. I figured my yearly mammogram was good enough.
When a friend died of breast cancer, I grew up and told my gynecologist that I didn’t check myself and why. She gave me lessons, which included the fact that usually most breasts are mirror images of one another, i.e., if you feel something in one breast, you should feel the same thing on the other.
One night while doing my monthly check, I felt something in only one breast. The next day, I called my doctor, and within a week I had cancer surgery. The good news was I had caught it early and the prognosis was excellent. The scary news was that some of my cancer cells were Stage 4 (the most aggressive) and if I hadn’t been checking myself, well, who knows?
It’s been eight years, and so far, so good.
For women with limited means, Project H.E.R.O.A. provides free breast and cervical cancer screening services to eligible uninsured and underinsured women. For more information, call them at 413-447-2378 or 1-800-40-HEROA.
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