Good friends are like bras, supportive, never leave you hanging, make you look good and are always close to your heart. A good friend and a community health activisit is how many people describe Lilli Rey. When Lilli found out that San Mateo County's public hopsital was the only hospital in the Bay Area without digital mammography equipment, she became dedicated to improve the hospitals breast health facilities.
After donating a mammography machine in 2011, Lilli realized there was an opportunity to do more.
Women, like me, who have a family history of breast cancer worry more about breast cancer according to a new study. One of the best things that I did was to get tested for the BRCA 1 & 2 genes, which helped me have more information and less fear. Having information and then talking about it with my surgeon, breast specialist and gynecologist helped me feel more empowered.
I found out that because my mom tested positive for the BRCA gene, meant that my brothers should consider being tested so that they could understand their risk for pancreatic and prostate cancer, since they're related cancers.
I remember how difficult it was to ask my mother to be tested for the breast cancer gene. She had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer by that time and knew that her time was limited. She had breast cancer at age 32, one of her maternal aunts had died of breast cancer and she thought that her maternal grandmother died of ovarian cancer. I knew from my work in women's health that if she carried the BRCA genetic mutation that I had a 50/50 chance of also carrying it.
My friend Amy* ( not her real name) lost 30 pounds and was enjoying how she looked in her new clothes. She had to buy new bras and one night before bed noticed a very odd feeling in her left breast. She was tired and laid down on her side, where the combination of gravity and her position, made it easier for her to feel a hard lump. Now, I wouldn't have been able to sleep, but Amy is one of those people who can pu things out of her mind and deal with them when there's more information. The next morning, she called her sister who's a OB/GYN and got a same day appointment for an exam.
I was talking to 2 friends the other day, who both had double mastectomies for advanced breast cancer. Kim and Ellen (not their real names) had complete reconstruction and neither one had been able to save their nipples. They were both talking about how difficult it is to have one nipple that's horizontal and points straight ahead like a headlight, and the other that's off in it's own direction, like a wandering and wayward child.
Last night I gave viewers a behind the scenes look at some of the innovations taking place at the Breast Health Center at El Camino Hospital. The facility is using state of the art Digital Mammography and MRI to detect breast cancers early, often before they can be felt. Early detection is the key to successful treatments and a long life.
For women with breast cancer who need to have radiation in addition to or instead of surgery, the prospect of enduring radiation treatments for 6 weeks can seem like forever. Now there are new shorter course radiation treatments that deliver effective, high doses of radiation in a much shorter time frame.
