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Boy Scout District Executive Julie Chambers didn’t let breast cancer keep her from scouting.
DAILY JOURNAL
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Scout executive continues to serve during breast cancer fight BY MICHAELA GIBSON MORRIS DAILY JOURNAL
No one can be fully prepared for breast cancer, but you can lean on your friends. Boy Scout district executive Julie Chambers has depended on her family – husband Jim and sons Will and Phil – and the Scout community as she has navigated life during breast cancer treatment this year. She faced the cancer head on, but has found ways with the help of her medical team to do the things she loves. “I was lucky,” said Chambers, 46, who was diagnosed in January. “I have a really great family, friends and Scouting family.” Chambers went on a special trip with her younger son at spring break. She continued to work with Scouts in packs and troops from Walnut to Algoma and volunteer with a Boy Scout troop and Venturing Crew in Oxford, where she lives. She served as the Cub Scout camp director Tallahatchie District Executive Julie Chambers helps Pack 40 Cub Scout Colton Hall, 8, from Pontotoc, at Camp Yocona near Randolph. with his archery at Camp Yocona. Chambers served as Cub Scout camp director, as she has received “Traveling and being with kids treatment for breast cancer. energizes me,” said Chambers, who was diagnosed with Stage II grees in biology and parks and sponsible, capable young men. The days after she returned breast cancer. “I have fought this recreation. She has worked with “I’m seeing kids who were my home were a blur of doctor apcancer better because I kept the U.S. Forest Service. Cub Scouts now have their Eagle pointments, medical scans and doing those things. I would have “I’ve worked with camps for ceremonies,” Chambers said. procedures. A mammogram led been far worse if I hadn’t been 24 years in some form or fash“It’s an amazing transition.” to an ultrasound, because like able to do it.” ion,” Chambers said. Chambers was attending a many women in their 40s, she She has been a volunteer with Scout conference in Florida had dense breast tissue. Because ACTIVE LIFE Scouts since 2009 and joined the when her cancer journey began her mother is a nurse and she Chambers’ professional life Yocona Council staff a little in January. grew up reading nursing magahas revolved around the outmore than a year ago. She loves “I rolled over and felt this zines, Chambers knew exactly doors. She holds masters dewatching the boys grow into re- knot,” Chambers said. what she was looking at on the
See video at djournal.com/ pinkproject. ultrasound monitor. “I could see the tumor,” Chambers remembered. “That’s when I had my moment.” The original plan was go with a lumpectomy, but the surgeon found two more tumors. That set up a second surgery for a mastectomy. The pathology reports showed the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes, but no further. “This is really aggressive,” Chambers remembers the doctors telling her. Her surgeon and oncologist gave her the green light to take a special spring break trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with son Phil between recovering from surgery and starting chemotherapy. Chambers had shared a similar school trip with older son Will to Ireland, and didn’t want to miss the experience with Phil. It increased her comfort level that two other doctors, who were also Scouters, were on the TURN TO SCOUTS, 11A
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
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school trip with their kids. “It was the biggest concern at the time,” Chambers said. “I wanted to be on this trip with my son.” Cancer affects the entire family. When Chambers was diagnosed, her two sisters went through extra screening. Her older sister Jenny Cross of Atlanta was diagnosed with breast cancer, too. Chambers’ husband, Jim, has been a rock, even through the overwhelming times. “He helps me when I ask,” Chambers said “But the hardest part, he leaves me a alone when I have just been overwhelmed and don’t want anyone around.”
CAMP TIME
Because Chambers’ cancer is aggressive, her treatment regimen will be lengthy. “I’ll be in chemotherapy through next summer,” Chambers said. She’s also slated to go through a round of radiation treatments. Her boss, Yocona Council Executive Rick Chapman, and her coworkers continue to be extremely supportive, Chambers said. “Be prepared (the Scout motto) means I have a system,” Chambers said. “I trust people to know what’s going on with me.” Chambers adjusted her schedule to make the most of the “good” weeks between chemo treatments. “I would pack those weeks with work and travel,” she said. She worked with her doctors to make sure those good weeks would land around the threeday Cub Scout camp sessions, when 200 kids and some 60 adult volunteer and staff members descend on Camp Yocona. It takes months of work with volunteers to prepare for the camp sessions. Chambers did have to change the way she worked as camp director. She drove the trails in Camp Yocona instead of walking. She worked naps into her schedule. One of the most difficult adjustments was not jumping in as a camp life guard. She couldn’t be sure that she had the stamina for the long days. “It was very tough,” Chambers said. “I wanted to be down there and help.” Her staff looked out for her, volunteering to take over the Walmart runs and sending her in for afternoon naps. “Knowing you have people you can trust with those things makes a difference,” Chambers said. George Ceverny, who volunteers as the shooting sports director for Camp Yocona, volunteered to let Cub Scouts shave his head at the closing camp fire in solidarity with Chambers, who lost her hair during treatment. “We’re really lucky here in our council,” Chambers said. “We’re a small council, but we do a lot. It’s because of the volunteers, because people care about Scouting and these kids.” michaela.morris@journalinc.com
FILE PHOTO
Race for the Cure cureleaders cheer on runners and walkers during the 2014 event.
Stepping up to fight breast cancer “They can pink it out, so to speak,” Kight said.
BY MICHAELA GIBSON MORRIS DAILY JOURNAL
For 17 years, the Komen North Mississippi Race for the Cure has brought together thousands. They come to celebrate breast cancer survivors, remember those lost to the disease and make early detection more accessible in 16 North Mississippi counties. In 2014, more than 3,600 people came out to Fairpark, turning downtown Tupelo bright pink. “You see how breast cancer affects people of all ages,” said Melonie Kight, race committee chairwoman. This year’s race is also bumping up the fun for families. HealthWorks! children’s health education center will have an obstacle course as part of the 1-mile Fun Run. “It will be perfect for kids,” said affiliate coordinator Cindy Hale. The obstacle course is optional for anyone going through the fun run, Hale said. Kids of all ages are welcome to try it. As always, breast cancer survivors will have a special tent all their own. Their presence at the race is always inspiring, race organizers said. “They’re out there support one another, sharing their stories,” Kight said. Since 1998, the Komen North Mississippi Race for the Cure has contributed $2.1 million in grants to make screening and diagnostic tests available and educate the community and more than $680,000 to the national Komen research program. Many race participants are taking their race further, and raising money beyond what they pay in race registration. “It’s fundraising that boosts how much money we can grant out in the spring,” Hale said. In addition to recognition for top fundraisers following the Oct. 24 race, the weekly fundraising
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Seventy-five percent of the money raised through Race for the Cure remains in the community. Twenty-five percent of the race money goes to the national Susan G. Komen foundation. “It’s earmarked strictly for research,” Hale said. For the local grants, a committee reviews grant applications from non-profit organizations to make sure the money goes where it can do the most good. The organizations have to provide semi-annual reports about how the money is used, Hale said. In North Mississippi, the grants are spread across a 16county region. Most of the The 2014 race drew more than 3,600 runners and walkers to down- money goes to providing mamtown Tupelo. mograms and other screening and diagnostic testing for the | | medically underserved “It’s surprising how many hardworking people don’t have insurOct. 24 and under.. Add $5 for chip timing ance,” Hale said. Fairpark in downtown Tupelo Available until 4 p.m. Oct. 16 With money from the 2013 • 7 a.m. Survivor photo on steps of • For Teams race, the North Mississippi affiliTrustmark Bank Register online by 4 p.m. Oct. 9 ate was able to make $135,000 in • 7:15 a.m. Warm up with fitness in• In-person registration and packet grants to 10 organizations. That structor George Stone pick up money provided 679 mammo• 7:55 a.m. Wheelchair start Noon to 7 p.m., Oct. 21-23 grams, 194 clinical breast exams, • 8 a.m. Race start Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau 18 diagnostic services, 18 ultraVisit komennms.org Cost: $30 for adults, $25 ages 14 and sounds, 1,310 one-on-one educaFacebook: Komen North Mississippi under. Add $5 for chip timing tion sessions and touched 108 Race for the Cure people through a public educa•Race day tion session. Most importantly, Register 6:30 a.m. until race time, Oct. 24 the screenings paid for by the • Online Fairpark, downtown Tupelo grants detected 12 cases of breast Visit komennorthms.org Cost: $35 for all ages cancer. Cost: $25 for adults, $15 for ages 14 No chip timing available From the 2014 race, the committee had $170,000 they distribcontests encourages participants for the team fundraising compe- uted among 10 organizations in to get in the game each week. tition: corporate, small business, March, and they are still using The winners receive a prize from church, school, friends/family the money to reach out around Charming Charlie and recogniand community. For the second North Mississippi. tion on Facebook. year, teams that raise more than “We are so excited this year beOn race day, the Top 100 $1,000 will have space to create a cause we had more money,” said fundraisers this year will also reteam camp site. Liz Dawson, board president for ceive a $25 gift card from Belk. “It’s a good place to meet up,” the North Mississippi affiliate as “Just raising a $100 just makes Hale said. she handed out the grants. such a difference,” Hale said. The teams can set up a tent There are six different divisions and make the space their own. michaela.morris@journalinc.com
2015 RACE FOR THE CURE
2015 Komen North Mississippi grant recipients $25,803 to Sisters Network $6,000 to Good Samaritan Free Clinic in Columbus to to provide mammograms provide screening mammoand education programs. grams. $18,000 to Antone Tan$8,800 to Magnolia Renehill Good Samaritan Free gional Health Center FoundaClinic in Tupelo to provide $33,000 to NMMC Breast Care Center in Tupelo to provide mammograms and follow up tion in Corinth for a breast cancer educational program. screening. mammograms and education.
$47,347 to Baptist Memorial Foundation to provide mammograms at hospitals in New Albany, Oxford, Booneville and Columbus.
$18,400 to Access Family Health Services, which has clinics in Tupelo, Houlka, Smithville and Tremont, for screening and education. $1,200 to Lift Inc. to provide mammogram assistance.
$2,250 to NMMC-Iuka to provide breast cancer education and mammogram assistance. $9,200 to NMMC-West Point to provide education and mammogram assistance.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
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Inspired by Mom: Sisters volunteer with Women First
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EVENTS CALENDAR Oct. 7 Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon noon Oct. 7 at In Bloom, New Albany. Sponsored by Baptist MemorialUnion County. Free. Registration required. Call (662) 538-2197. Oct. 16 “Do You Know What the Color Pink Means?” breast cancer lunch will be held at noon, Oct. 16 at First Baptist Church in Fulton. Free. Call Romona Edge at the Mississippi State Extension office at (662) 862-3201. Oct. 24 Komen North Mississippi Race for the Cure 8 a.m. Oct. 24 5K and 1 mile fun run. Benefits breast cancer education, screening and diagnostics and research. Team registration deadline Oct. 9. Online registration through komennorthms.org until 4 p.m. Oct. 16. In person registration and packet pick-up noon to 7 p.m. Oct. 21-23 at Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau.
ONGOING
NMMC Mobile Mammography Unit will travel to the following locations around Northeast Mississippi in September. The cost of a screening mammogram is $267 and is available by appointment. Resources are available for those without adequate health insurance coverage. Call (662) 3777982 or (800) 843-3375. • Oct. 7 - Tippah County Health Services, Ripley • Oct. 8-9 – NMMC-Pontotoc • Oct. 12-13 – Booneville Medical Clinic • Oct. 14 – Baldwyn Medical Clinic • Oct. 21 - Calhoun Health Services, Calhoun City • Oct. 22 - NMMC-Pontotoc • Oct. 26-27 - Tippah County Health Services, Ripley • Oct. 28 - Fulton Medical Clinic
DAILY JOURNAL
BY MICHAELA GIBSON MORRIS DAILY JOURNAL
Breast cancer took Mary Elaine Enis in February, but her journey is still inspiring her daughters. Both Sonya Mackey and Analyn Weeks, who live in the Birmingham Ridge community, serve as volunteers with Women First Resource Center. The sisters were moved to join the organization’s ranks after seeing how the Women First volunteers helped their mother and others. “She thought it was such a good cause,” said Weeks, who volunteers as a receptionist at the resource center office on North Gloster Street. Her sister hands out snacks and drinks to cancer patients and their families with Women First at North Mississippi Medical Center hematology and oncology department at Bridgepoint. “She pushes paper,” Mackey said. “I push carts.” Neither woman would have connected with Women First Resource Center if it wasn’t for their mother’s breast cancer. “We had no idea there was a place like Women First,” Mackey said.
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Sisters Sonya Mackey, left, and Analyn Weeks began volunteering in different capacities with Women First Resource Center after connecting with the center’s volunteers while their mother, the late Mary Elaine Enis, was in treatment for breast cancer.
weeks, Enis would go for a treatment. She would get a week off, MAKING AN IMPRESSION and the treatments would start Enis was a petite, sweet, retired again. Each treatment protocol beautician, who was married to would hold back the cancer for a James Enis for nearly 51 years year before doctors would have when she died. The grandmother to change it. Her daughters were of three and great-grandmother by her side. of one loved to garden and fish, “It became a running joke, if her daughters said. you saw one of us, there were “She never had a bad word to usually three of us,” Weeks said. say about anybody,” Weeks said. Along with compassionate She was diagnosed with breast medical staff, Women First voluncancer in 2005. After surgery and teers made an impression on Enis an initial course of chemotherand her daughters. The volunapy, she did well. She even took teers would come around the up line dancing with friends from lobby and the treatment area with church. snacks, drinks and information “She was cancer free for almost for patients and their caregivers. four years,” Mackey said. “She enjoyed those snacks so When the cancer returned, the much,” Mackey said. “Sometimes trio spent almost every Thursday her chemo would last four at Bridgepoint, where the oncol- hours.” ogy physicians and infusion services are located. MAKING MOM PROUD “The chemo never stopped Mackey started volunteering after that,” Weeks said. about four years ago. She would Every Thursday for three get her mother settled and then
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serve a shift pushing the cart. “They had been so helpful to Mom that I just wanted to give back,” Mackey said. Some patients come alone to treatment and don’t have someone who can fetch while they are receiving treatment. Others come for tests that have to be done on an empty stomach, but may not be able to leave between tests and treatments. “We thought there was such a need for snacks and drinks,” Weeks said. More than delivering snacks and a drink, the cart volunteers deliver a smile and company for those who want it. “There’s much more laughter than tears,” Mackey said. “Some things hit you hard, but you see a lot of good things, a lot of people getting better.” It’s also been comforting for Mackey in the months since her mom passed away. “The people Mama got closer
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to, I still see them,” Mackey said. “I check on them, and they check on me.” Weeks began volunteering at the Women First Resource Center about three years ago. The resource center on North Gloster Street hosts support groups and community meetings. Cancer patients can use the wig boutique if they’ve lost their hair. Families of cancer patients or anyone in need can receive a casserole supplied by local church groups. “it’s a very comforting place,” Weeks said. “They meet the needs of so many people.” Weeks and Mackey took a break from their volunteer duties just before their mom died in February, but returned after a month. They wanted to continue the work their mother inspired. “Mom would be proud,” Weeks said. michaela.morris@journalinc.com
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New Albany Gazette
newalbanygazette.com
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 7A
J. Lynn West
Editor
Terri Kirk is tough. She has worked at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County for 31 years, is Respiratory Therapy Director and has faced thousands of life-critical situations. Although she has to drive 40 miles each way to and from the hospital, she has only missed work twice in those 31 years. And yet she found herself in a situation that fully tested the strength and resolve she has. In 2013 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “You think you’re prepared for anything,” she said. “But it’s different when you’re on the other side.” Terri lives in Walnut with her husband Lynn and where they have a son, Josh, 24. “I live one mile from where I was born,” she said. When she graduated from high school she went to Northeast Mississippi Community College to work toward a degree in respiratory therapy. “I worked at the hospital on weekends,” she said. Then, after graduation, the job became full-time and she has stayed there since. “It’s the only job I have ever worked,” she said. “I don’t know whether you’d call me crazy or dedicated.” Over the years, she acknowledged her life and daily habits had almost gotten into a rut – going to work, coming home, fixing dinner, watching TV – and a part of that routine was a walk with her husband. Early in July two years ago she was again out walking with her husband, complaining that she did the same thing every day, not knowing her life was about to change drastically.
Later that month she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Terri knew she had some family history with cancer because her grandmother had it and was good about being checked regularly, advocating checks every six months instead of 12. “I had abnormal mammograms before and nothing came of them,” she said, so she didn’t think anything about this one. “But then they said it was cancer – Stage I,” she said. The tumor was so small one could not feel it, but it was there. “That’s why I really advocate yearly mammograms,” she said. “Otherwise I would not have been aware of it.” When she learned of the diagnosis she ran through the gamut of emotions including anger and upset, but got over that. “I’m not the kind to sit around,” she said. “I got the first appointment I could find.” They did another mammogram, then a biopsy combined with ultrasound. “That’s when it came back positive,” she said. It had not spread but they would remove it and part of the lymph nodes to be sure. “What you go through before the surgery is worse than the surgery,” she said. There are shots, dye injections, guide wires and other unpleasantness she did not want to detail. “It’s bad,” she said, but also noted that having a good, caring physician can make all the difference. “I give Dr. Lohmeier all the credit in the world,” she said (Dr. Justin Lohmeier’s specialty at BMH is diagnostic radiology). “Again, he did great with the news.”
J. Lynn West/Gazette Staff
Kirk with some of the respiratory therapy quipment she uses to help patients at BMH-Union County. Terri immediately went to see Dr. Jones and the Jones Clinic, which specializes in oncology. “Since it was such a small tumor I thought, ‘We’re good,’ and they would look at me and send me home,” she said. Instead, Dr. Jones recommended two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Although the tumor was small, it was of the estrogenpositive type and could easily grow if not controlled. “I wanted to keep my life as normal as I could,” she said. So she scheduled treatments on Wednesday, knowing from her hospital background that Saturday and Sunday would be the “bad” days after chemo. “By Monday, I would get up and do it all over again,” she said. She was scheduled for one treatment a week for 12 weeks and, not surprisingly, her hair eventually
started coming out. “So I got a sharp razor and bought a wig,” she said. But trying not to take the situation too seriously, she began getting tattoos on her bare head (not permanent tattoos, she emphasized). Terri got through the first course pretty well and the second course was scheduled to be one time every three weeks over 12 weeks. “It was the one they call ‘Red Devil,’” she said. “It looks like cherry Kool-Aid and put that other chemo to shame.” She got so sick she had to be off work twice – for the first time ever. “Toward the end I got so sick I couldn’t eat anything but cold soup,” she said. She received the Red Devil at the same time each week and “Bonanza” and “Gunsmoke,” two of her favorite TV shows were always on while she was getting the IV. “Now I break
out in a cold sweat if I hear that theme music play,” she said. She lost 25 pounds and nothing tasted right. She lived on yogurt, pudding and Popsicles but somehow she made it through and the doctors gave her a brief vacation before starting radiation treatments. That was in early spring last year. She was scheduled for 32 treatments, done daily except for Saturdays and Sundays. “I would work a couple of hours, drive to Oxford (for the radiation), come back and work,” she said. That meant driving close to 150 miles each day including work and the treatments. The radiation was better than the chemo but not without problems. “It does cause fatigue,” she said. “And it did burn me, all the way up around my arm.” But at the end of all this, doctors told her the tumor was gone. “Yes, we did celebrate,” she said. Now she needs to be checked every six months and last year they needed to take a second look, requiring a stereotactic procedure. “But everything was fine,” she said. Still, she can’t ignore what has happened. “Sometimes you don’t know the long-term effects of chemo,” she said. “I failed my last bone density test and they probably will put me on some type of medication.” Now, she tries to use her experience to help other patients. “I try to talk to them whenever I can,” she said. The main piece of prac-
tical advice she gives is “Don’t go on the Internet (to look up your illness and symptoms)” because it will likely make things worse with misinformation, misunderstood information and worst-case information. But her real advice is just to have faith in God. “I think you go through everything for a reason,” she said. “I wouldn’t have made it without God, my family and my friends.” And she credits the Bible as well, having composed a list of relevant verses to help her (see the accompanying list for some of them). She welcomes anyone who is experiencing cancer to call her or talk with her. And she goes back to that day walking with her husband and complaining about her life being in a rut. “All those Saturdays and Sundays I was lying on the couch I was wishing I could just go walk again,” she said. “Be careful what you wish for.”
Some of Terri’s selected verses “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24
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Faith in God helps Kirk with cancer battle
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Below are some facts about the American Cancer Society and breast cancer.We encourage you to send them to friends and family.These facts demonstrate the work the American Cancer Society has accomplished with other organizations and remind us that together we can create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays! The American Cancer Society is available around the clock to help you through your cancer experience.We are here every minute of every day and night at 1-800-227-2345. Learn more at cancer.org. AGE 40? If you know a woman who is 40 or older and is not getting her yearly mammograms because she is afraid of the test, encourage her to visit cancer.org/mammovideo to watch a video of women talking about their experiences with mammograms. REDUCE RISK Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women (excluding skin cancer). Learn how to stay well by taking steps to reduce your risk for cancer or detect it at its earliest, most treatable stage, at cancer.org/breastcancer. YOUR DIET To stay well and reduce your cancer risk, maintain a healthy body weight by eating a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Limit the amount of red meats you eat, especially high-fat and processed meats. Learn how delicious a healthy diet can be at eatrightgetactive.org. BIRTHDAYS More than 11 million Americans who have a history of cancer will celebrate another birthday this year.The American Cancer Society knows how special a birthday can be: a celebration of life, a marker of progress. Join us, and together we’ll save more lives and help everyone celebrate more birthdays. PREVENTION More than half of all cancers could be prevented. Learn how to stay well and reduce your risk of cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices at cancer.org. INSURANCE Lack of health insurance and other barriers prevent many Americans from receiving quality health care.To learn more about what the American Cancer Society is doing to help all people have access to health care, visit www.cancer.org/access.
within the breast is more likely to be cancer, but further tests are needed to diagnose the problem.
■ Regular exams can spot breast cancer early. Special to the Chickasaw Journal
Women can live in fear of breast cancer or they can get informed and take measures to stop breast cancer before it starts or at least catch it in the early stages when it can be most effectively treated. Women should talk with their doctor about how to spot breast cancer and what exams and procedures health care professionals can offer to detect breast cancer at its earliest. There are many different factors that determine a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. There are also many different ways to detect breast cancer and many ways to treat it.
Breast Exams
During a clinical breast exam, your health care provider checks your breasts. You may be asked to raise your arms over your head, let them hang by your sides, or press your hands against your hips. Your health care provider looks for differences in size or shape between your breasts. The skin of your breasts is checked for a
Lab Tests
COURTESY PHOTO
Mammograms are part of a regular routine of breast health awareness and should be prescribed by a doctor. Older women should be aware of the increased risk of breast cancer and should talk to their doctor about scheduled mammograms. rash, dimpling, or other abnormal signs. Your nipples may be squeezed to check for fluid. Using the pads of the fingers to feel for lumps, your health care provider checks your entire breast, underarm, and collarbone area. A lump is generally the size of a pea before anyone can feel it. The exam is done on one side and then the other. Your health care provider checks the lymph nodes
near the breast to see if they are enlarged. If you have a lump, your health care provider will feel its size, shape, and texture. Your health care provider will also check to see if the lump moves easily. Benign lumps often feel different from cancerous ones. Lumps that are soft, smooth, round, and movable are likely to be benign. A hard, oddly shaped lump that feels firmly attached
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor may order special lab tests on the breast tissue that was removed: • Hormone receptor tests: Some breast tumors need hormones to grow. These tumors have receptors for the hormones estrogen, progesterone, or both. If the hormone receptor tests show that the breast tumor has these receptors, then hormone therapy is most often recommended as a treatment option. • HER2/neu test: HER2/neu protein is found on some types of cancer cells. This test shows whether the tissue either has too much HER2/neu protein or too many copies of its gene. If the breast tumor has too much HER2/neu, then targeted therapy may be a treatment option. See the Targeted Therapy section. It may take several weeks to get the results of these tests. The test results help your doctor decide which cancer treatments may be options for you.
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During the month of October, Trace Regional Hospital is offering a breast screening mammogram for $75.00 cash. Includes test and radiologist fee.
Trace Regional Hospital
1002 East Madison Houston, MS 38851
Call 662-456-1070 to schedule your appointment.
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Know your foe
Breast Cancer Facts & Resources
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itawambatimes.com WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015
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THE ITAWAMBA COUNTY TIMES ■ FULTON, MISSISSIPPI
11A
Monroe Journal
Page 6A, Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Loden a two-time cancer survivor Breast cancer stamp BIGBEE – Faye Loden went for a mammogram in September 2011, and a mass was found in her right breast. Dr. Woody Brand had removed a knot in her breast in 1993, but it was not malignant. She talked to Dr. Woody Brand, and the next week surgery was scheduled. “Someone asked me if I was going to have both breasts removed. I told her ‘no,’ and she told me she wished she had because it often came back in the other breast,” said Loden. “Monday afternoon another lady called me about the same thing. “I went to Tupelo to get some houseshoes and called the doctor’s office, but he was not in. I wanted to tell him I wanted both breasts removed.” Loden said the pre-op nurses at the hospital handed her the sweetest encouraging note when she was being prepared for surgery. “I had both breasts removed, and I am proud I did. I have had my regular checkups since, and have had no problems,” Loden said. “I was dismissed in 2014, and will celebrate four years of cancer free this October. I have never regretted the decision for
Monroe Journal
ALICE ORTIZ/BUY AT PHOTOS.MONROECOUNTYJOURNAL.COM
Fay Loden often finds veggies and other treats in her mailbox. Everybody knows she likes Snickers, and she often finds a bag in with her mail. a double mastectomy.” Loden was also diagnosed in 1997 with colon cancer. She didn’t have to have any treatment for that either. “We were on vacation, and I passed blood. I had seen a little occasionally. I told a friend, and she told me I needed to see a doctor when I got home. I made an appointment, had a stool test, and the results said I needed a
colonoscopy,” she said. “I was told I had to have surgery. They didn’t know at that time if it was cancer or not. They told me to get a good night’s rest. They removed 12 inches of my colon.” Loden said she had not had any symptoms, but was tired all the time. She was working at Amory Garment and would be so tired she was just able to go home.
She also had a mass on her kidney in 2008 and had a half kidney removed. They were 95 percent sure it was cancer, but it wasn’t. “I won’t have to have another endoscopy until 2017, but I encourage everyone to get regular colonoscopies,” Loden said. Loden and some of her friends also make turbans for cancer survivors.
Nationally, the U.S. Post Service has raised more than $81 million through the sale of the Breast Cancer Research FirstClass Semipostal stamps. Since being issued July 29, 1998, the stamp has raised money for breast cancer research. By law, 70 percent of the net amount raised is given to the National Institutes of Health, and 30 percent is given to the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense. A total of $2.20 of every sheet of breast cancer stamps goes toward eradicating the disease. “Everyone knows someone affected by breast cancer. With it being such a rampant disease, more people are aware. With the post office, we bring awareness to this disease,” said Hamilton Postmaster Twanda Tate. The stamp, which features the phrase, ‘Fund the fight. Find a Cure,’ was designed by Ethel Kessler
of Bethesda, Maryland. It features an illustration of a mythical “goddess on the hunt” by Whitney Sherman of Baltimore. Congress has renewed its availability multiple times, most recently in 2011, when President Obama signed Public Law No. 112-80, extending the current sale of the stamps through Dec. 31, 2015. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
ALICE ORTIZ/BUY AT PHOTOS.MONROECOUNTYJOURNAL.COM
Willie Walker, right, buys a sheet of breast cancer stamps from Hamilton Post Office employee, Marriah Walker.
Post office hosts its annual breast cancer event BY ALICE ORTIZ Monroe Journal
HAMILTON – The thirdannual Hamilton Post Office Breast Cancer Event was held at the Hamilton Community Center on Oct. 3. This year's theme was "Ridin to a Cure," and several motorcycle groups from Mississippi and Alabama participated in the ride. Hamilton postmistress Tawanda Tate said sponsoring the breast cancer event was especially meaningful to her as she lost her sister last year to breast cancer. The U.S. Post Office is again selling breast cancer stamps to help raise money for breast cancer research and awareness of the disease.
There were prizes for each breast cancer survivor, with one grand prize being awarded to a breast cancer survivor. The grand prize consisted of a limousine ride, dinner for two, a spa treatment and hotel accommodations. “If we all fight together, we can stamp out breast cancer,” said guest speaker District 3 Supervisor Carol Crawford. “In the last 17 years of selling stamps to support breast cancer, 991 million stamps have been sold, and $82 million has gone to research. It is amazing that one little stamp can do that much good.” Crawford also talked about lifestyle changes that will help women with the fight against breast cancer.
Lola Cates Survivor
You are an inspiration to those who know you... a wonderful example of courage and perseverance. May the fullness of life be yours in the days ahead.
From Natalie & Lauren. We love you very much!
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sales benefit research to cure breast cancer
BY ALICE ORTIZ
Monroe Journal
Monroe Journal
MONTH EVENTS
Aberdeen
Oct. 16, Pioneer Community Hospital individual departments' cowboy hat judging. The hats will be used as centerpieces at the annual Ladies Pink Luncheon. Oct. 23, Pioneer Community Hospital bake sale in the hospital lobby put on by the MAC Committee Oct. 24, Daniel Baptist Church will host a cancer walk beginning at 9 a.m. at the Aberdeen Park and Recreation building and ending at City Hall. Oct. 28, Pioneer Community Hospital's Paint the Hospital Pink luncheon at First United Methodist Church at noon. For more information, 369-2455. Oct. 30, Pioneer Community Hospital's drawing for a Scentsy pot. Everyone who purchases an "In Memory of" or "In Honor of" card goes into the drawing.
Amory
Merit Health Gilmore Memorial will be inviting the public to decorate with pink bows, wreaths, pumpkins and other items throughout the month of October in honor of breast cancer awareness month.
Hamilton
Oct. 23, Pregame breast cancer awareness ceremony at Hamilton High School.
If you have a Breast Cancer Awareness month event you’d like publicized, call 256-5647 or email ray.vandusen@journalinc.com.
Prayer, faith main reason Gardner is cancer survivor BY ALICE ORTIZ Monroe Journal
HAMILTON – Fifty-eightyear old Mona Gardner was diagnosed in September 2014 with breast cancer. “I had just started a new job and had a surface sore on my breast. I thought it was just a staff infection, and wanted to wait until I got insurance,” Gardner said. "I finally went to the doctor and they took a look and said I needed a biopsy. The doctor and surgeon said it was breast cancer. I said it was just an open sore. I never heard of breast cancer like that before.” The surgeon asked if the sore has started as a pucker or wrinkle. He said that breast cancer sometimes started that way close to the surface and turned into an open sore. “I seriously thought I just had a staff infection,” Gardner said. Gardner had a PET scan, and she discovered she had HER2positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The cancer was also in the middle of her brain and in her spine. “The surgeons said it was so deep in my brain they would not do a biopsy,” she said. “A spine biopsy disclosed I had a fractured vertebra caused by the cancer. I had 16 rounds of chemo for three weeks. I lost
ALICE ORTIZ/BUY AT PHOTOS.MONROECOUNTYJOURNAL.COM
Hamilton breast cancer survivor Mona Gardner of Hamilton, right, stands with one of her infusion nurses from Baptist Memorial Golden Triangle, Katie Baty. Baty is also a resident of Hamilton. Gardner said she has received all her cancer care at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle. "I absolutely love the people there. They have taken such good care of me," Gardner said. my hair, but never got physically sick. I did suffer extreme fatigue from it. I would go the doctor and get chemo, and that was all I could do. I couldn’t do anything else.” During this entire time, Gardner had a friend who had a praying and healing ministry and she had been prayed over many at the time. A month later after the diagnosis and
initial treatment, she had another PET scan. The cancer was gone from the brain! “My doctor was a Christian and she prayed with me before surgery, and prayer with others I know is what took the brain cancer away,” she said. “There is now Rehoboth, meaning God Has Brought You Here, in Hamilton. The prayer and healing group meets on
Monday nights in Hamilton. I know without a doubt, God healed my brain. My go-to verse was Jeremiah 29:11, ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Gardner said her 81-yearold mother became her caretaker during her fight with cancer. Gardner is now cancer-free, but her spine cancer is not curable. The best prevention to keep it from coming back is receiving two biological chemo drugs, maintenance, every three weeks for life. The type of chemo she has to take affects her heart. In February the test was 57, in May it was 51, which is almost almost below normal and in August, it was 61. Gardner believes this was again the result of prayer. “Sixty one was a fabulous number,” she said. Gardner picks and chooses where she goes. She said she still gets tired easily, but it is not the extreme fatigue she had before. “I am happy to deal with easily tired. I could not have survived without God, my family and my friends,” Gardner said. "I know that is why I am cancer-free today.”
We want to know your story! Survivors Supporters Organizations Experts It’s likely you’ve had a run-in with breast cancer. We want to create a community of encouragement and support for all who deal with the disease.
Tell your story at monroecountyjournal.com/pinkproject.
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BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
Wednesday, October 7, 2015, Page 7A
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015
Dawson, Pi Phi helps lead cancer awareness locally BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN
When Erin Dawson needed help to raise awareness about ovarian cancer, her sisters at Pi Beta Phi sorority were there to lend a hand. Dawson, a junior the University of Mississippi, led the charge, helping raise funds in support of those who have cancer. And to raise awareness for those who can avoid the disease all together. Dawson experienced cancer first hand as her mother Cindy passed away from ovarian cancer when she was 10. “They didn't catch that she had a genetic mutation until she was in Stage 4,” said Dawson, who is 20. “If they would have known that she had the genetic mutation they could have prevented it from getting to Stage 4. It's good to let people know to get the testing when they're young. You can get checked periodically. With ovarian cancer, you don't start showing symptoms until you are in Stage 4 and Stage 5.Women rarely diagnosed in the first three stages. But if you have TURN TO CANCER PAGE 9
SARAH BROOKE BISHOP
Erin Dawson, left, and Grace Gardner, as well as other members of Pi Beta Phi sorority, helped raise funds, and awareness, for those suffering from cancer and a specific genetic mutation that affects some women.
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PAGE 8
OXFORD CITIZEN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015
Lafayette, ZTA team up to host ‘Pink Out’ game BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN
Fans of the Lafayette Commodores should store their red and gold shirts and hats Friday night. Or at least be ready to add a string of pink beads around their necks. Friday night's home game with Ripley is the annual Pink Out game. This will be the first time that the school has partnered with Zeta Tau Alpha sorority in order to promote awareness for breast cancer.
Cancer FROM PAGE 8
the genetic mutation, you can get tested earlier than when the symptoms start showing so you don't have to deal with the consequences of getting cancer.” Testing for the genetic mutation is expensive, so Dawson felt like any money she could help raise would help. Members of the sorority were allowed to pay to dress down to attend a chapter meeting to help Dawson. A total of $450 was raised, and the goal is to keeping adding to that number. “The cost for the test to get done is about $3,200 and right now what we're trying to do now is to cover half of it for anybody that
Marissa Atkinson, an English/Journalism teacher at the high school, is helping coordinate the event. She was a member of ZTA while at Mississippi State from 1995 through 1998. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the date of the game worked out perfectly to get things started. Atkinson said that in big cities, the NFL partners with different civic groups to help raise awareness of breast cancer. Since there are no pro teams nearby, Atkinson felt like
the Commodores would be perfectly suited to help. Two cancer survivors, Kay Lowe and Debbie Taylor, will take part in the coin toss. Lowe is a ZTA alumna, while Taylor's daughter, Emilee, is married to Lafayette offensive line coach Cody Stubblefield. Atkinson's own mother, Susanne Campbell, who is from Oxford and living in Holly Springs, is also a survivor of breast cancer. As a group, ZTA chapters, including alumnae chapters, hold over 500 events to
raise funds and increase awareness for breast cancer. As the National Survivor Ambassadors of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, in October ZTA volunteers will man nearly 300 walks in communities nationwide. “We hope to one day have a Making Strides Against Breast CancerWalk with the American Cancer Society here in Oxford,” Atkinson said. Lafayette has hosted other Pink Out games before, and head coach Eric
Robertson said his players will be wearing some pink, somewhere, on their uniforms. Robertson, and his wife Tanya, have had family members who have dealt with cancer, with the results of the fight not ending in an ideal manner. “I think anything we can do to bring awareness to it is a good thing and we want to do that,” Robertson said. “It hits home with everyone, one way or another. We may not be raising a lot of money, but we are bringing awareness to it. And
maybe through that, people will be generous and donate. Cancer is a tough deal that seems to be affecting more and more people. We put so much money and energy into things, for a lack of better words, that are not important, our country does. I think this is something that if we could just put all of our energy into it would make a bigger impact.”
needs help to get the test done,” Dawson said. “Any amount of money can help. Even $100 for somebody who can't afford $100 to get this test and to keep from getting the cancer is beneficial.” Pens and bracelets have been made and sold in the past to raise funds. Dawson said the daughters of mothers who undergo the test only cost $500. That means this latest round of funding would go towards funding a child to have the test performed. Insurance can cover the cost of the test, Dawson said, but it all depends on the coverage. “When I got it done, I think we paid $300 out of pocket on the $500 test. A lot of insurance companies don't really see the need for this test because they think you can go in and get your-
self checked out every year,” Dawson said. “Of the 16 people that we have seen get the test done, two had the genetic mutation, so it's about one in every eight based on our research. It is a very rare mutation. It's an area that a lot of people don't know about. They don't know that this something they have or their family has. They're not really sure about a statistic.” Grace Garner, the chapter president, said the fundraiser came at a great time because the chapter just completed C.A.R.E Walk which helps raise awareness about breast cancer. “I think all the girls really wanted to help out, especially when it affects someone who is close to us and in our chapter,” Garner
said. “It makes it more personal. I know there are a few girls in our chapter that have personally been affected through family members, parents, so it kind of hits home with everyone. I think all of us have been affected by it at some point in our life and not just breast cancer or ovarian cancer, but some sort of cancer.” Garner said it's her desire to keep the fundraiser, and the message, going through the semester. Dawson said she thinks about her mother daily. As the years have gone on, things have gotten easier knowing her mother wasn't around. “When I found out that she had the genetic mutation, it brought me closer to her and what she went through,” Dawson said. “I
understood what happened to her and it gave me more closure instead of when I was 10 and she passed away. I gave a talk for Relay for Life a couple of years ago. That's something I try to do talk about it. I try to put the word out there as much as I can. It's a very new and unheard of area. It's not something a lot of people are looking to come educate people on. I didn't know my mom had until I was 18 and it was time for me to get the test. Then when I got it and I was talking to my friends, not a single one knew what I was talking about. I think I met one or two people my age that know what this mutation does.” Lafayette is hosting Ripley Friday night and it will be Pink Out at William L. Buford Stadium. Garner
felt events like that are great to get the word out. “It just raise awareness because so many people have been affected by it at some point in their life by it,” Garner said. “I think it can bring people together who have gone through this sort of thing. My aunt had breast cancer when she was in her 30s and my grandmother had breast cancer when I was a senior in high school and passed away from it. I give back through C.A.R. E. Walk and some proceeds go towards donating. It's great because everyone can come together and they can walk in memory of someone. It's the 12th year that we've had it and all the chapters participate and it's always been a great turnout.”
662.234.5742
john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
john.davis@journalinc.com
1903 University Ave., Suite 10 • Oxford, MS 38655
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PAGE 9
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 • Pontotoc Progress • pontotoc-progress.com
Page 5B
Teresa Conlee REGINA BUTLER Progress Staff Writer
If you had told Teresa Conlee last year, at the dawning of 2014, that she would be facing a major heart attack and breast cancer in the same year, she might have wanted to say “Let’s just skip this year.” But because of God’s grace and mercy she did face these two devastating physical challenges and she is still walking around to talk about it and to think about the lessons learned. “Cancer made me stop and reflect. Each day is very important, a lot more important than I realized,” said Teresa. Her breast cancer diagnosis came just days before she turned 59, “My birthday is October 9 and I was diagnosed on October 2,” she said. It was discovered through a routine mammography. “Dr. Susan Shamberger told me she was 99 percent sure it was breast cancer, but wanted to do a biopsy just to make 100 percent sure.” She was driving down the road in the truck with her husband when she got the call. “Dr. Shamberger simply told me I had breast cancer,” Teresa recalled. “It was shocking, because it was fact. I was glad that my husband Larry was with me because I lost it.” Perhaps the reason for her total devastation is because she remembers the rough time that her former boss had with the disease. “Sandra Tinsley, died in 1991 with breast cancer. I sat with her in the hospital all day the day that she died. “She was my best friend as well as my boss, so it was doubly hard. “So ‘cancer’ was a dreaded word.” “I always thought the hardest the hardest thing I ever lived through was when my daddy died of a sudden heart attack on Christmas Eve, 1997.” She paused thoughtfully. “And then in June of 2014, I had a heart attack.” Barely four months later, she was told she had breast cancer. “I had never missed a day being sick as a Pharmacy Technician,
CPHT at NMMC Pontotoc.” So she made up for all those days of not being sick in barely half a year. She started 12 treatments of chemotherapy before the doctors even operated on her. “I had an invasive kind of cancer called triple negative, so they wanted to shrink it as much as they could before the operation.” Her journey through chemo started on November 7 and they continued every two weeks. In less than a month her hair began to come out. “That was the hardest part,” she said. “It didn’t just all fall out right away, I remember running my brush through my hair and it would be full.” She didn’t want to face the inevitable. “I kept thinking, this just can’t be happening to me.” Finally one day her husband helped her have the strength to shave it all off. “I started wearing a wig in early December.” But the worst of her treatment was yet to come. “Beginning in late January, I had the last four treatments that are called the Red Devils because they are so tough.” The first one put her in the hospital, and the tolerated the second and third one at home, “but the fourth one put me in intensive care with a blood transfusion.” On April 27 of this year she had a lumpectomy “And it revealed there were no cancer cells.” She stopped and smiled. “Dr. Danny Sanders said it was the first time in his practice there were no cancer cells present.” A CT scan and mammogram on June 11 showed everything normal, and then from July 7 through August 3 she had 20 radiation treatments as a precaution. Teresa said she could not even begin to think about doing this without Jesus. Philippians 4:13 is a scripture that she has repeated often. She smiled, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” And another source of support and strength for her were her sisters in arms so to speak.
“There were two other women, Anita Young and Sherry Welch who were going through cancer treatments too. “We were a band of sisters, we would get on the phone and say, ‘how are you today.’” Because Anita’s wasn’t as invasive as Teresa’s she went through chemo quicker, “And she would let me know exactly what to expect. There is nothing like having someone there for you that has walked before you to give you that comfort and guidance.” Teresa has a special kinship with Anita because it was her cancer that made Anita get herself checked out. Her other rock through this whole ordeal has been her husband, Larry, her only son Daniel and his wife Chelsea and “most importantly my precious grandson Drake. “I kept telling myself Teresa you’ve got to stay strong. You’ve got family that needs you.” Her church family and work family has also been there for her. “My employers at the NMMC Pontotoc pharmacy and Montgomery Drugs were so willing
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and able to work with me during the days I wasn’t able to work.” Her church family stepped up in so many ways, “They gathered at the Randolph community Center and raised close to $20,000 for my medical expenses. She is still living with some of the after effects of the disease, “I’m wearing a wig right now,” she said then impishly grinned. “My hair is only about this long,” she spread her fingers about a half an inch apart. “I might not even give up the wig after it grows out. It is so easy just to wash and fix then put on my head.” She grew serious. “But don’t take life for granted,” she said. “Everybody has a purpose in life and God has a purpose for you. Breast cancer was a hard tough emotional struggle for me. “Now that a year has passed, I don’t ever want to forget it, nor forget my God that held my hand through it, but I do want to be thankful that God allowed me to overcome this disease so I might be a help to someone else.”
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“Breast cancer was a hard tough emotional struggle for me. “Now that a year has passed, I don’t ever want to forget it, nor forget my God that held my hand through it,” -Teresa Conlee
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Page 6B pontotoc-progress.com • Pontotoc Progress • Wednesday, October 7, 2015
12A • Southern Sentinel
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
I
n addition to scheduling clinical screenings and mammograms, women should routinely examine and massage their breasts to detect any abnormalities. These breast self-exams can be an important part of early breast cancer detection. Although many women are aware that they should become familiar with their bodies, many are unsure about just how frequently they should conduct breast examinations. Experts at Johns Hopkins Medical center advise adult women of all ages to perform self-examinations at least once a month. That’s because 40 percent of diagnosed breast cancers are first detected by women who feel a lump. Establishing a regular breast self-exam schedule is very important.
Begin by looking at the breasts in a mirror. Note the size and appearance of the breasts, and pay attention to any changes that are normal parts of hormonal changes associated with menstruation. Breasts should be evenly shaped without distortion or swelling. Changes that should cause concern include dimpling, puckering or bulging of the skin. Inverted
nipples or nipples that have changed position, as well as any rash or redness, should be noted. In addition, the same examination should be done with arms raised over the head. The breasts should be felt while both lying down and standing up. Use the right hand to manipulate the left breast and vice versa. Use a firm touch with the first few fingers of the hand. Cover the entire breast in circular motions. The pattern taken doesn’t matter so long as it covers the entire breast.
All tissue, from the front to the back of the breast, should be felt. The same pattern and procedure should be conducted while standing up. Many women find this easiest to do while in the shower. It is important not to panic if something is detected. Not every lump is breast cancer. And bumps may actually be normal parts of the breast, as certain areas can feel different than others. But bring any concerns to the attention of your doctor. Breast self-exams are a healthy habit to adopt. When used in conjunction with regular medical care and mammography, self-exams can be yet another tool in helping to detect breast abnormalities. Doctors and nurses will use similar breast examination techniques during routine examinations.
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