As many of you already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For me, it’s personal. My mother, who is the greatest woman I’ve ever known, was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2006. I am not exaggerating when I say that I was scared out of my mind. In truth, it probably didn’t help that my grandmother (my mom’s mother), whom I was also very close to, passed away just a few months earlier (not from breast cancer). So, to me, it seemed like my world was crashing down around me. I went through most of the recovery process with my mom. She required both chemotherapy and surgery, and it was very hard to watch a woman who had been so strong for so long struggle. It was…heartbreaking. But, with the power of prayer and help from some of the best (and nicest) doctors I have ever met in my life, she has made a full recovery. This experience, however, makes me think about how important it is to get screened for breast cancer, AKA, getting a mammogram. What’s better, is that I found some information about ways to get them for free, or at least on the cheap, so people without health insurance can get screened as well.
The first website is called The Breast Cancer Site. It is an interesting way to help those in need, but basically, you click the button (you can click once a day) and after a certain number of clicks (roughly 45,000) it donates a free mammogram to women in need across the country. It is a for profit business, but is also supported by corporate sponsorship, so check it out and click the button, since you could save a life with that click. Think it’s too good to be true? Verify it here!
Another website is called liv.com. It is a breast cancer awareness website that lists resources for women to get free or low cost mammograms. The United States Center for Disease Control’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) is one resource you can use to get access to these low cost of free screenings. Check out their website here. Other websites listed on liv.com offering help to get screened on the cheap are The National Cancer Institute (supported by the U.S. Government), the American Cancer Society (the blue box in the middle right of the page “Find ACS in Your Community” is where you want to go. You’ll need your zip code. They can tell you what resources are available in your area.) and The American Breast Cancer Foundation’s Key to Life Breast Cancer Screening Assistance Program. This last resource doesn’t have a website, but you can call them at 877-539-2543 to enroll in their program which provides financial assistance to uninsured and underinsured women and men for breast cancer testing. If none of these suit your needs, call your local hospital and ask to speak to a social worker. They are the hospital contact that will be aware of any free or low cost mammogram/cancer screenings in your area.
Breast cancer won’t go away on it’s own. The faster they catch it, the better your chances. If my mom hadn’t been diligent in her screenings, I might have lost her, and that isn’t something I like to think about. So you’re busy with kids and career. It doesn’t matter, because you have to take care of yourself, no matter what is going on! Think about it…if you don’t take care of yourself, who will take care of your priorities (kids etc.) when you’re gone?
Tags: Breast Cancer, cheerleaders, Family, Friends, Relationships
Thanks so much for this great post about the resources available to help women with breast cancer testing and treatment. The American Breast Cancer Foundation is committed to providing uninsured and underinsured individuals direct financial assistance for diagnostic tests to aid in the early diagnosis, treatment and survival of breast cancer. Please visit our website at http://www.abcf.org or call the Helpline number listed in this post, 1-877-KEY-2-LIFE for more information or to enroll.