Oct2012_Samford Pink Ribbon Morning tea
13th October 2012
Two Samford Valley ladies, Mair Underwood and Kelly Barker, are hosting a Pink Ribbon morning tea at the next Samford Valley Markets (13th October) to raise awareness of breast cancer, and to raise funds for breast cancer research.
Two Samford Valley ladies, Mair Underwood and Kelly Barker, are hosting a Pink Ribbon morning tea at the next Samford Valley Markets (13th October) to raise awareness of breast cancer, and to raise funds for breast cancer research.
Come along to St Paul’s Anglican Church, 12 Mt Samson Rd (corner Serendipity Drive) Samford, between 7am and 12 on the 13th October and enjoy some morning tea with us.
Chances are your life will be touched by breast cancer in some way as 1 in 9 women are diagnosed at some point in their lives.
The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this morning tea is especially important for Mair and Kelly as they have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer (you may have seen the henna on Mair’s bald head as she got around Samford). Every day more than 30 Australian women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Mair and Kelly were diagnosed when they were in their 30s. They thought they were too young to worry about breast cancer as all the information seemed to be aimed at older women. But they were wrong; breast cancer is the most common cancer among teenage and young adult women aged 15 to 39 years. Breast cancer in this age group is more aggressive and more difficult to treat successfully than in older women. Although rare, even children can develop breast cancer, so it’s never too early to become breast aware. Mair and Kelly also didn’t know that breast cancer can develop from hormonal changes so were surprised when birth control and childbirth resulted in their breast cancers.
“I never checked my breasts”, Mair said. “I didn’t know I should. I suppose I thought I’d start worrying about that in my 40s or 50s. I never thought a lump in my breast while I was breastfeeding could turn out to be life-threatening. Luckily I found the lump when rubbing sore muscles from a tough gym workout. The doctors said that if it had remained undetected for even another couple months I would be dying now. I don’t want other women to have to rely on luck. I want them to check their breasts every month so they can catch it in its early stages like I did”.
For Kelly it was just after her 30th birthday when she was diagnosed with the stage 2 invasive breast cancer. “My lump was misdiagnosed by two doctors after an ultrasound showed it had all the characteristics of a Fibroadenoma (a common benign lump). At the time a biopsy was seen to be unnecessary, as they thought it unlikely that my lump was malignant due to my age and the fact that I had no family history of breast cancer. Six months after the ultrasound my breast started to become very sore, the lump had grown twice the size, and I was still told by another doctor not to worry. After seeing a third doctor it was decided to have the lump removed simply because it was quite large and causing pain. It was then once the lump was removed that it was discovered to be cancer.”
The rate of misdiagnosis (especially in young women) is alarming. Breast cancer is the second highest cause of cancer deaths in women behind lung cancer, and although clinical breast exams are important they miss nearly 40% of cancers. Furthermore 30% of mammograms are found to be negative for potentially cancerous lesions, when they are actually positive.
Kelly says, “A lot of people think that having breast cancer simply involves the removal of your breasts, then the cancer is gone, but although I have had the mastectomy there is still a chance the cancer will return. I am reminded of this every day when I step out of the shower and see the large scar across my chest”. For many women, breast cancer treatment is successful and breast cancer does not come back. However, for some women, breast cancer is found some time later in the breast that was treated, or in other parts of the body because cancer cells have spread outside the breast and armpit area but cannot be detected.
We hope that all women reading this article become more aware of checking their breasts on a regular basis. If you catch breast cancer in its early stages it is very treatable, and much less likely to come back. We are especially concerned about younger women who don’t realise that breast cancer is a real threat. It’s never too early to check your breasts. Get to know them so you know if anything has changed. Even a few months can be the difference between life and death for young women, so check your breasts monthly. If you have recently found a lump and have been told it is nothing to worry about, and are unsure, seek another opinion. Always trust your instincts. You can’t be too cautious with this kind of thing.
We would love to see the people of Samford Valley and surrounds come together and raise money for this important cause, so please come down to the Samford Valley Markets at St Paul’s Anglican Church, 12 Mt Samson Rd (corner Serendipity Drive) Samford, between 7am and 12noon on the 13th October and enjoy some morning tea with us.
by Mair Underwood and Kelly Barker.
Chances are your life will be touched by breast cancer in some way as 1 in 9 women are diagnosed at some point in their lives.
The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this morning tea is especially important for Mair and Kelly as they have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer (you may have seen the henna on Mair’s bald head as she got around Samford). Every day more than 30 Australian women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Mair and Kelly were diagnosed when they were in their 30s. They thought they were too young to worry about breast cancer as all the information seemed to be aimed at older women. But they were wrong; breast cancer is the most common cancer among teenage and young adult women aged 15 to 39 years. Breast cancer in this age group is more aggressive and more difficult to treat successfully than in older women. Although rare, even children can develop breast cancer, so it’s never too early to become breast aware. Mair and Kelly also didn’t know that breast cancer can develop from hormonal changes so were surprised when birth control and childbirth resulted in their breast cancers.
“I never checked my breasts”, Mair said. “I didn’t know I should. I suppose I thought I’d start worrying about that in my 40s or 50s. I never thought a lump in my breast while I was breastfeeding could turn out to be life-threatening. Luckily I found the lump when rubbing sore muscles from a tough gym workout. The doctors said that if it had remained undetected for even another couple months I would be dying now. I don’t want other women to have to rely on luck. I want them to check their breasts every month so they can catch it in its early stages like I did”.
For Kelly it was just after her 30th birthday when she was diagnosed with the stage 2 invasive breast cancer. “My lump was misdiagnosed by two doctors after an ultrasound showed it had all the characteristics of a Fibroadenoma (a common benign lump). At the time a biopsy was seen to be unnecessary, as they thought it unlikely that my lump was malignant due to my age and the fact that I had no family history of breast cancer. Six months after the ultrasound my breast started to become very sore, the lump had grown twice the size, and I was still told by another doctor not to worry. After seeing a third doctor it was decided to have the lump removed simply because it was quite large and causing pain. It was then once the lump was removed that it was discovered to be cancer.”
The rate of misdiagnosis (especially in young women) is alarming. Breast cancer is the second highest cause of cancer deaths in women behind lung cancer, and although clinical breast exams are important they miss nearly 40% of cancers. Furthermore 30% of mammograms are found to be negative for potentially cancerous lesions, when they are actually positive.
Kelly says, “A lot of people think that having breast cancer simply involves the removal of your breasts, then the cancer is gone, but although I have had the mastectomy there is still a chance the cancer will return. I am reminded of this every day when I step out of the shower and see the large scar across my chest”. For many women, breast cancer treatment is successful and breast cancer does not come back. However, for some women, breast cancer is found some time later in the breast that was treated, or in other parts of the body because cancer cells have spread outside the breast and armpit area but cannot be detected.
We hope that all women reading this article become more aware of checking their breasts on a regular basis. If you catch breast cancer in its early stages it is very treatable, and much less likely to come back. We are especially concerned about younger women who don’t realise that breast cancer is a real threat. It’s never too early to check your breasts. Get to know them so you know if anything has changed. Even a few months can be the difference between life and death for young women, so check your breasts monthly. If you have recently found a lump and have been told it is nothing to worry about, and are unsure, seek another opinion. Always trust your instincts. You can’t be too cautious with this kind of thing.
We would love to see the people of Samford Valley and surrounds come together and raise money for this important cause, so please come down to the Samford Valley Markets at St Paul’s Anglican Church, 12 Mt Samson Rd (corner Serendipity Drive) Samford, between 7am and 12noon on the 13th October and enjoy some morning tea with us.
by Mair Underwood and Kelly Barker.
