Experts and breast cancer survivors say early detection, mammograms save lives

by

Lacey Alexander

• Published on October 12, 2023 • Last modified on October 13, 2023 • Comments

Winn-Dixie is giving back to local communities with its in-store donation program benefiting American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Customers in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Northwest and Central Florida and Columbus, Georgia can help to support their neighbors impacted by breast cancer by donating $1, $5 or rounding up their grocery bill to the nearest dollar during checkout.
Photo: Business Wire

More than 2,000 Mississippi women could be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to the state Department of Health. But early detection can save lives.

Lacey Alexander

Experts and breast cancer survivors say early detection, mammograms save lives

Mississippi has the lowest breast cancer screening rates in the nation for older women, and the state Department of Health estimates roughly 410 women die each year from breast cancer.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and medical experts in the state are recommending frequent breast cancer screenings to check for early warning signs of the disease.

Adrienne Russell is a nurse and breast health navigator at Baptist Medical Center in Jackson. She consults patients from the time they get screened for cancer to the end of their treatment, and says all women should get tested for breast cancer even if they have anxiety about a mammogram.

“A lot of women think that the mammogram is going to be very painful,” she said. “But most of our mammography techs are very skilled and very professional and try their best to make it pain free or as little as pain as possible.”

Radiology experts say that women over 40 should get a mammogram every year, or at least every two years.

Barbara Washington is a breast cancer survivor, and shared her story with the Mississippi Department of Health. In a video testimony, she encourages women to learn how to do self-exams.

“I would tell anybody… test yourself… I didn't do that because I didn't think it could happen to me,” she said. “This is your life.”

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among American women.

Editor's Note: Ms. Barbara Washington died earlier this year. She shared her story with the Mississippi Department of Health in 2015.