Tucson Woman Raises Awareness About Mammograms
One local Tucson woman has a very good reason for encouraging all women to get a regular mammogram. Lanita Price is a breast cancer survivor who credits this preventative procedure for saving her life.
Price was diagnosed with breast cancer about a year ago. At the time of her diagnosis, "the thought of dying never crossed my mind. I did think about how chemo would impact me. Was I going to lose my hair?" she said. She was more concerned for her husband who had lost his first wife to cancer in 2004.
Price remembers, "I immediately thought when I heard the news, 'how I am going to tell him, you're going through this again. You've got another wife that you have to deal with the same struggle all over again.'”
Price began speaking out about mammogram awareness shortly after Good Morning America’s Amy Robach discovered her own breast cancer through an on-air mammogram meant to inspire women to stay up-to-date on their mammogram check-ups.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer found in women, regardless of ethnicity. And approximately 20 percent of women who are diagnosed don’t survive. Having a regular mammogram can help to catch cancer earlier which usually increases the odds of beating it. Director of Breast Surgeon Oncology at the U of A, Dr. Michele Ley stated that early detection through mammograms has increased the survival rate for breast cancer victims 20 percent.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that some of the risk factors for developing breast cancer are being younger when you first had your menstrual period, starting menopause at a later age and long-term use of hormone-replacement therapy. However, in Dr. Ley’s experience, there’s always exceptions to the rule.
"Most patients who are found to have breast cancer don't have any risk factors for developing cancer, other than they're a woman," Dr. Ley said. Price and Robach are just 2 of the estimated 300,000 women that are diagnosed with breast cancer in America each year.
Price is now cancer free and dedicated to mammogram awareness so that other women will have a higher chance of beating this disease.
"You are the captain of your own body. You can look at this body as a ship and it's going to be steered in the direction that you take it, based on the things that you do to take care of it," Price encourages.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises, “If you are age 50 to 74 years, be sure to have a screening mammogram every two years. If you are age 40–49 years, talk to your doctor about when and how often you should have a screening mammogram.”
Always consult your chiropractor or primary care physician for all your health related advice.