LAKE COUNTY — Surviving advanced-stage breast cancer 10 years ago was only the first part of Lakeport resident Mary Jane Howard”s fight against the disease.
“I”m only here by the grace of God. It changed my focus on life, and I look at every day as a gift,” Howard said.
Howard was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in May 1998.
She said her doctors gave her between a 50 and 84 percent chance of living five years. Howard had three children.
Her youngest was 7 years old, her son had just graduated eighth grade and her oldest daughter was finishing her freshman year in high school.
“My first thought was that I did not want to leave my children ? I wanted to be here to raise them. So I prayed to God that he would keep me here to be able to raise my children. Now I”m praying to see my grandchildren,” Howard said.
Howard knows the key to prevention is early detection. In October 2007, she was diagnosed with the earliest stage of breast cancer in her left breast after her right was removed more than nine years prior. The cancer was not yet spreading, but it was found throughout her breast.
“That made me a ticking time bomb,” Howard said.
She had another mastectomy in January, followed by reconstructive surgery. Howard said she is vigilant about having regular mammograms, and encourages other women to do the same. Howard said the Lake County agency Sponsoring Survivorship helped her with medical expenses. She helps out with the agency”s annual October run to raise funds. For more information, visit www.sponsoringsurvivorship.com.
October is breast cancer awareness month, and Sutter Lakeside Hospital is offering free mammograms to eligible women Monday and Tuesday.
Women interested in getting a free exam should call the state”s Every Woman Counts program at 1-800-511-2300 to find out if they are eligible.
“If you have high risk factors, such as your mother, sister or daughter having breast cancer, that puts you at a higher risk. Having no pregnancies until after age 30 is a high-risk factor. Taking estrogen as a replacement increases your chances of getting breast cancer,” Sutter Lakeside Hospital staff radiology technician Cynthia Blair said.
Blair recommended breast self-examinations once a month, and mammograms every other year for women older than 40. Women older then 50 should have a mammogram once a year, according to Blair.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women, according to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. According to the Web site, the chance that a woman will get breast cancer at some point in her life is one in eight.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
