JACKSON, Miss— What is a woman to do when one in eight is diagnosed with breast cancer? Mississippi Public Broadcasting presents the stories of two Mississippi women and their personal fight to survive breast cancer.
“Merry Lunsford and Katrina Myricks shed light on the process of being diagnosed and going through the myriad of decisions a woman and her family make to fight and survive the disease,” said Kathryn Rodenmeyer, MPB executive producer.
A “Southern Remedy” documentary special, “A Plan to Survive” airs Thursday, July 14 at
7 p.m. on MPB TV.
“I’m just finding out that I have breast cancer, but I plan on surviving,” said Merry Lunsford.
At age 45, Lunsford is a hairdresser with a knack for making women look and feel beautiful. Self-employed and a single mom, she provides for her four daughters. But a little knot in Lunsford’s breast led to major changes to her life, her girls and her business.
Katrina Myricks, a three-year breast cancer survivor, had a lump detected during a routine mammogram at age 47. In the documentary, Myricks tells her story and offers encouragement.
“Being diagnosed with breast cancer can be a bad thing,” said Myricks. “But going through the process of never being detected can be even worse.” She is now an advocate for women going through breast cancer.
“If you don’t do self-exams, do self-exams,’ added Myricks. “If you don’t go in for routine mammograms, you’ll never know what’s wrong on the inside… if you are not taking care of yourself.”
“I hope these personal stories and the information from our expert doctors will help women make better informed decisions about screenings and treatments for breast cancer,” added Rodenmeyer.
Encore presentations of “A Plan to Survive” are set for Friday, July 15 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 16 at 5 p.m. After July 14, watch the show online at www.mpbonline.org/aplantosurvive
The MPB TV documentary explores the recently revised screening recommendations for breast cancer and features physicians offering opinions on best practices for detecting breast cancer. Oncologist Dr. Barbara Craft and radiologist Dr. Harpreet Talwar, both with the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Cancer Institute, join Dr. Rick deShazo to discuss breast cancer. A professor of medicine at UMMC, Dr. deShazo is the host of “Southern Remedy” on MPB Think Radio airing every Wednesday at 11 a.m.
“Southern Remedy” is MPB’s flagship wellness program dedicated to keeping Mississippians healthy.
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