A Mammogram Saved MyLife by Candis Cohen Information Officer, Medical Board of California (NAPSA)—So, it’s been two years. I mentioned last year in this column that a mammogram saved mylife. Am I grateful! Who would have thought I would need lifesaving mammogram (special Xrays of the breast that can detect cancer)? I lived a healthy life— never smoked, never a drinker, careful with my diet, and had led an active lifestyle. Fortunately, since I turned 40, I had regular screenings for breast cancer. It saved mylife. It’s YourLife. If you're a woman over 40, please get an annual mammogram.If you can’t afford one, call the state Department of Health Services at (800) 51 a At 51, I had a suspicious mammogram, then a needle biopsy, which showed a tiny, aggressive cancer in my breast—so small it was removed bythebiopsyitself. I just had to have little tissue removed, which confirmed it hadn’t spread. Because I’d caught it early, I’m cancer-free. If you’re a woman over 40, please get an annual mammogram. If you can’t afford one, call the state Department of Health Services at (800) 511-2300. It’s Your Life. A message from the California Health Communication Partnership, supported by the Oliver and Jennie Donaldson Charitable Trust. FACT: A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that mammograms contributed to a 24 percent decline in deaths from breast cancer between 1990 and 2000.
