Regular mammograms make a diference

By Hillary Rodham Clinton

Every Thursday, a woman named Miriam volunteers in my staff office at the White House. She is a retired schoolteacher, mother of two, proud grandmother and caring colleague who seldom arrives at work without cakes, cookies, pies or donuts for the staff.

I wish her story ended here. But it doesn't. Like more than two million other women in America, Miriam has breast cancer.

She found a lump in her breast five years ago. Since then, she has undergone two surgeries, 33 days of radiation treatments and five separate chemotherapies, including the debilitating sessions she now has every week.

Miriam is not the only woman I know who is battling this disease. In fact, it is hard to find a family in our country -- or a workplace, neighborhood, church group or social club -- that has not been touched by breast cancer.

My mother-in-law, Virginia Kelley, died last year after a four-year struggle with the disease. The mother of one of my best friends was diagnosed a few months ago. Another friend just told me that his sister -- only 41 years old -- has a massive lump as well.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and if you want a chilling statistics, here it is: One in eight women in our country will develop breast cancer during her lifetime, compared to one in 20 a generation ago. And 46,000 American women will die of cancer this year.

Those numbers shouldn't be so high. When detected early and treated aggressively, breast cancer does not have to be an automatic death sentence. Every week, I meet women who are longtime breast cancer survivors living full and healthy lives. The key to early detection is a regular mammogram, particularly for women over 65, who account for half of all breast cancer cases.

Younger women should discuss with their doctors whether they should get regular mammograms. When I turned 40, for example, I began having one every year.

In traveling around the country to talk with women about breast cancer, I was startled to learn that only 40 percent of older women, whose mammograms are now covered by Medicare, actually take advantage of this potentially lifesaving benefit.

Why do so many women fail to get mammograms?

Unfortunately, many are reluctant to get screened because they have been told that the procedure is painful or embarrassing. Others don't realize that the benefit is covered under Medicare. Some women lack insurance coverage or the funds to pay for the test. Still others have never been told by their doctors that a mammogram is one of the most effective ways of detecting malignant breast lumps. Some women have even told me they didn't want to find out if they were sick because they believed there was little they could do about it.

Finally, many women are so busy taking care of their families that they forget to take care of their own health.

I know that a mammogram is not the most comfortable and a lot more convenient than the pain that comes with cancer and its treatments.

That's why it's important that Medicare continue to cover older women for mammograms every two years and at any other time a doctor believes it is necessary. And it would be a big step forward if communities and local health facilities also offered screenings once a year for women who don't have health insurance or would otherwise be unable to afford a mammogram.

When appropriate, doctors, regardless of their speciality, should encourage women patients to have regular mammograms. Any woman who fears breast cancer should remember that if she does have the disease, she should find out as quickly as possible so that she can begin treatment and get on with living her life.

That's what Miriam does. My staff and I often talk about how much we admire her courage and her selflessness. She tells us that she gets through her treatments by setting personal goals: getting her kitchen remodeled or living to see the birth of her new granddaughter, who was born last month. Now she is looking ahead to her 60th birthday in March.

She says she is no longer afraid of the disease and has no plans to stop her volunteer work. "I will come in until I just can't do it anymore," she said a few days ago. "The chemo hasn't knocked me down yet."

What impresses me most about Miriam is not just her grace or sense of humor but her willingness to talk about breast cancer so that others can learn from her experience.

"Get a mammogram," she frequently reminds us. "It's much less frightening than not having the chance to see your children grow up or your grandchildren graduate from high school. You owe it to yourself and your family."

We should all listen to the words of one so wise.

-- Creators Syndicate