As you probably well know, October is breast cancer awareness month. This month is particularly special for me, as my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 29 years old. She has been cancer-free now for 23+ years, and she now does a lot to help young women develop good habits for life. When she had her cancer, it was very rare for someone of her age to get the disease…in fact, doctors in the area were quite astonished. She found her lump herself, through a BSE (breast self exam). Unfortunately, it isn’t so rare these days…
I typically love all of the information in magazines and the media about prevention (such as exercising and eating right) and health in October, but something has really been bothering me this month. The reason I am blogging today is because of a trend I have seen this month in many magazines, TV shows, and on blogs on the internet. I have read so many stories about women who have gone for their first mammogram at 40 and felt old. I even read one where the 30 year old woman had to get one and felt so depressed because she always thought they were only for older, or at least middle-aged women.
Considering that, in addition to having semi-annual phyisical breast exams from a doctor since I was 16, I have had breast ultrasounds like clockwork every 6 months since I was 21, and had my first biopsy and mammogram at 23 (they keep a good watch on me considering my mom’s diagnosis), you can imagine what kinds of things go through my head when I read stories where women are complaining about breast screens because it makes them feel old. My private thoughts sound something like this: “I wish I could have waited til 40 or even 30 to have my first mammogram,” “shut up, whiney” etc.
I don’t mean to sound insensitive to anyone who is getting their first breast screening. I can empathize with it being nerve-racking, uncomfortable, and even a little scary. What I can’t understand is the stigma about breast screening being something that only older women have to deal with. This isn’t like hitting menopause or getting your first AARP brochure in the mail. It isn’t a sign that you are getting old.
Maybe it’s because my mom had cancer or 29 or that I grew up having breast cancer screens, but I just don’t see it as something only older people have to deal with. The organization my mom and I co-founded concentrates on educating teenage girls how to properly do BSE. My mom actually goes into the schools and has a really great program that helps them have fun while being educated at the same time. Several girls have had to have lumps removed, and one teacher in her 20s found a lump and was diagnosed with cancer.
The fact is, everyone (even men) should be aware of breast cancer. Young ladies should be properly taught to do BSE every month, as soon as they develop breasts, so it becomes a habit for life and they can better detect changes. Women should also start getting exams from doctors every year as teenagers, and then should discuss with the doctor about when they should start other screenings such as ultrasounds and mammograms.
The problem is, that if young women see breast screenings as something that happens when you age, that is one more reason they are sure to put off getting checked. Breast cancer can be easily treated when found early, so this is such a bad mindset to have about the disease.
This isn’t an old person’s disease anymore, so let’s
change the stigma!
YOUR VIEW: What about you? Do you think of Breast Screenings as
a sign of aging?
Brandi Hamrick
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