Please Don't Stop the Mammograms!

New recommendations have been released that are recommending that regular mammograms do not commence until age 50 and then at two year intervals. Two thoughts on this one:
1. This recommendation was made by number crunchers who only look at statistics and cost, or 2. This recommendation was made while ignoring the phenomenal strides made in breast cancer awareness, prevention, and treatment.

As for me, if it were not for a yearly digital mammogram, my breast cancer would not have been "found" before it likely would become a lump, I would have found in a self-breast examination. And who knows? By then, it would likely be invasive, and I could end up dead like my mother of this beastly disease in a short period of time.

The mammogram pointed out a few years before the actual diagnosis that the area where the cancer was found was starting to change. The changes were not significant enough to biopsy but they warranted diagnostic attention. Luckily, for me, I had terrific providers who had the knowledge and expertise to find it early. At this time, my chances of survival after 5 years are close to 99%. I'll probably be more likely to die from something else than breast cancer.

My twenty-something daughters are at a bit higher risk than the general female population due to generational breast cancer and female hormone cancers. Will they be barred from having the surveillance they have been advised to start at age 30? This is totally unacceptable!

Don't let this slide by without taking a proactive stance if you truly believe this is wrong. 1 out of 12 women will have breast cancer in a lifetime. Don't we want all of them to have the opportunity to live as along as they can as healthy as they can?