Breast cancer survivors share what you can do to be proactive

FAIRWAY, Kan. (KCTV) - You’ve heard the recommendations for breast cancer screening, specifically how old you should be for mammograms. One local woman learned the hard way that cancer can strike much earlier. She and another patient are urging others to have early conversations with their doctor.

We’ve all heard 40 is the magic number when women need to begin getting mammograms annually. But without knowing, you could be at higher risk for breast cancer, so the time to talk to your doctor is now to find out.

Even in her 50s, Janice Thomas never expected a doctor would tell her she had breast cancer.

“There’s no record or history of breast cancer in my family,” Thomas said. “So, I didn’t want to accept the fact initially.”

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That first call was too much to handle.

“I actually hung up the phone on the lady and got up”, Thomas recalled. “Had no clue where I was walking I just started walking. I was in a state of shock, didn’t believe that it was me.”

Meera Patel is a prime example of breast cancer lurking in women at a young age. She was diagnosed at age 33. Even her doctors weren’t sure if the lump on her breast was cancerous.

“At first, it was pushed off as maybe a milk duct or something like that but no concerns,” Patel said. “I did advocate for myself to get a second opinion. It turned out to be breast cancer.”

Since 2020, breast cancer cases have risen each year in Missouri and all but one in Kansas. But all these detections haven’t led to a drop in deaths. Jan and Meera say catching it early by staying on top of mammograms saved their lives.

“I would encourage women go get your mammograms, do the early detection,” Thomas pleaded. “It does pay off because early protection for me was one of the key factors in my survival.”

“You can’t go through life without knowing what’s going on with your own body,” Patel added. “So, always stay up to date with your annuals, get your blood s done.”

Don’t forget this year’s ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ event will be held Oct. 26th at 9:00am outside Crown Center. All funds raised go to local efforts helping patients dealing with breast cancer now.

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