It is a chilly October morning; Sara is seated at her balcony sipping her hot cup of tea. She is reflecting on the pink ribbons on her social media feeds that symbolize breast cancer awareness month.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is here again, reminding everyone about the importance of early detection. But for Sara, it wasn’t just a reminder but a second chance at life.
Just a year ago, Sara was like many women in their early 40s. She was busy balancing her career, taking care of her two kids and family, and trying to find time for herself. She had always considered herself healthy. She exercised a couple of times a week, ate fairly well, and rarely felt sick. With so much going on, going to the doctor for a routine screening felt unnecessary. After all, she thought,” breast cancer happens to other people”, not her.
But last October, something changed. Sara’s friend, Kim, had just been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at the age of 38. The news shook Sara. Kim had no family history of cancer, no obvious symptoms, and had lived a healthy lifestyle. It was a regular mammogram, an annual screening Kim did religiously that caught the cancer early enough.
Kim’s experience was a wake-up call for Sara, who had put off her mammogram appointment for years. October being breast cancer awareness month, she decided to finally make time for the screening. Sara called her doctor and scheduled a mammogram. “It’s just a routine check,” she reassured herself.
A few days later, she sat in the radiology office, flipping through a magazine while waiting for the results. She wasn’t worried. “I’m fine,” she thought. “This is just a formality.” But when the nurse called her in for additional imaging, Sara’s heart began to race. The doctors had found something. A biopsy confirmed it: Sara had stage 1 breast cancer.
The news hit hard. But the silver lining was clear, because she had caught it early, the prognosis was positive. Her doctors were confident that with surgery and a short round of treatment, she could fully recover. Sara’s decision to get screened did indeed save her life.
Its October and its best you seize the moment and get a breast screening. So, who should get screened?
Screening is an important thing to undertake as when cancer is detected early it is treatable and one stands a higher chance of survival.
Take the step today and get screened for breast cancer.
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