Letter: Thank you for support of breast cancer awareness

At the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Chest of Hope Tri-Cities would like to thank some of the people who supported our efforts in October in raising awareness of the importance of regular screenings, early detection, and the free services and supplies we offer to women going through breast cancer treatment.

So thank you to Maria McDonald McNamar with The Links Inc. and Matt Mandell at Canyon Lakes Golf Course for a successful 2nd Annual Pink and Blue Golf Tournament; Samantha Gray for organizing our outdoor Zumba Z Party; Cheri Manley with the Tri-Cities Women’s Expo; Britta Thompson with the Senior Times Expo; and Dr. Laurie Evans and her staff. Also, thank you to everyone who made a contribution to these events.

Relaxed guidelines regarding mammograms and clinical breast exams for “average risk” women have been in the news recently. However, I talk to dozens of survivors every year who tell me that their breast cancer was discovered during a routine mammogram using the previous guidelines. They didn’t even know their risk level. Early detection means more successful treatment options. Stage 1 breast cancer now has a 100 percent five-year survival rate!

Richland

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Letter: Thank you for support of breast cancer awareness."