Kiwani’s club hosted a joint effort by Florida Hospital Heartland Division and The American Cancer Society joined hands to help detect breast cancer in its early stages. This is being celebrated as Breast Cancer Awareness month and more than a dozen lectures have already been organized.
Sharon Hussey, Donette Jolly, Barbara Dandron and Kathy McCann, gave atalk on the benefits of early detection of breast cancer and also about the need for awareness. The staff of Florida Hospital is hoping to get people to do a self-examination, both men and women. It also hopes to encourage women to go in for mammograms.
Florida Hospital, along with five local chambers of commerce, hopes that both men and women perform self-breast examinations and women undergo regular mammograms. It is believed that breast cancer is the second most deadly cause for female deaths. To detect breast cancer the first step is to have mammogram and then if need be an ultra sound test. Getting an MRI done is another way to detect breast cancer. Since the breasts are made entirely of fat testing the tissue with compression is the best way and very effective too.
There are other methods also to detect breast cancer. One can get pink cancer awareness magnets at the chamber offices in Sebring, Lake Placid, Avon Park Wauchula and Frostproof. One also gets free mammogram and a huge gift hamper with the entry form.
It is not necessary that to have breast cancer there has to be a family history. 80% women do not have a family history of breast cancer. It is recommended that women above 40 must have a mammogram every year.
