Breast Cancer Awareness: Your Health, Your Power
- Memorial Hospital
- 12 hours ago
- 2 min read
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month unfolds, Memorial Hospital invites every woman to claim her power through prevention, early detection, and compassionate care. While genetics play a role in some cases, most breast cancers develop without a family history. This October, let’s focus on the things we can control, adopting healthy habits, staying vigilant with self-exams, and keeping up with recommended screenings.
Maintaining a balanced lifestyle can help lower your breast cancer risk. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, prioritize a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, and limit alcohol to one drink per day. If you smoke, seek support to quit, your entire body, including your breasts, will thank you. Small daily choices add up to powerful protection.
While healthy habits strengthen your body, screenings ensure no changes go unnoticed. Monthly breast self-exams help you recognize what’s normal for you, but clinical mammograms are the leading diagnostic approach. This week on our social channels, we’ll debunk common myths versus facts like how mammograms detect cancer before symptoms appear and use only minimal radiation exposure. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to arm yourself with truth and share our carousel.
Early detection dramatically improves survival outcomes. Women diagnosed at a localized stage have a five-year relative survival rate as high as 99%, and smaller tumors often require less aggressive treatment, lumpectomy instead of mastectomy, for example, so recovery is smoother and side effects fewer. “Catching cancer early gives our patients the best chance at a full recovery,” says Rhonda Mott, Chief Radiologic Technologist. “Our 3D mammography technology captures detailed images that help us spot tiny changes long before they become problems.”
Scheduling your screening is simple. First, ask your physician for a mammogram order, then call Memorial Hospital’s Mammography Department at (618) 826-4581 to book your appointment. Most insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act cover annual or biennial mammograms for women age 40 and older, and Medicare pays for yearly screenings as well. If you’re under 40 but have concerns, speak with your provider about starting earlier.
Your health is your power. By combining healthy habits, self-exams, and state-of-the-art 3D mammograms, you take control of your breast health, and if treatment becomes necessary, our Chemotherapy & Infusion Center stands ready with personalized care, from chemotherapy and immunotherapy to access to clinical trials through Specialty Clinic Oncologist, Dr. Justin Floyd. Together, we infuse hope at every step. Schedule your screening today, and share this article with the women you love.
