#WhyICheck Stories
There are many reasons why staying on top of breast health is important. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we asked you the reasons why you check—whether by doing breast self exams or your yearly mammogram. From doing it to be proactive and setting a good example for your children, to doing it because you know someone who has battled breast cancer or passed away because of it, we heard many reasons why breast health is important. These are just a few of them:
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“I am a survivor and so proud of that! I get a mammogram every six months. That is my process. Life is too important not to check.” –Julie Jimenez |
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“This year, a young girl from my hometown in Haiti passed away from breast cancer. She was younger than me. She came from a nice family. Breast cancer doesn’t care about color, status or what family you come from.” –Joacine Thelamour |
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“Sabes lo que es sobrevivir el cancer? Es una cosa gloriosa porque no haz perdido la batalla— sigues viviendo. Es beneficioso chequearse porque así se puede detectar si hay algo maligno y se puede hacer algo a tiempo.” –Esperanza Castillo |
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“This is your body! Why should you be scared of taking care of it? If you don’t check early, you run the risk of losing your breast or having the cancer spread.” –Assonia Joseph |
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“It is critically important for women to be very much aware of themselves and their body. Most lumps are still felt by women in spite of the newest technologies in breast imaging. No one can ever know your body as well as you can!” –Dr. A.P. Romelly |
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“Tengo amistades que se han dado cuenta muy tarde. Es muy importante saber las cosas a tiempo.” –Lilibeth Orellana |
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“My mother and my grandmother both had breast cancer, and I lost my father to cancer. I don’t want my kids to lose me. Going into my appointment today I feel good, because I am doing something about it.” –Margaret Fonseca |
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“I am taking action. It is better to know than not. Early detection is important. It can save your life. It makes the difference between catching it on time and being too late.” –Marie Poulard |
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“La medicina es preventiva. Haciéndose los chequeos se puede prevenir cualquier enfermedad. Las mujeres tienen que tomar consienscia de su salud del seno, hacerce la mamografí anualmente y chequearse sus senos una vez al mes.” –Gabriela Senteno |
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“I check for my health, because, without your health, you have nothing. I have beautiful daughters at home and I want them to be healthy, too, so they should see their mom being healthy, too.” –Amy Perez |