By Sonya Hollins, publisher
editor@comvoiceonline.com
*This is the first in a series to highlight breast cancer survivors as part of Pink Saturdays.
KALAMAZOO COUNTY (MICH.)– Lori Mercedes took did the right thing when she felt a lump in her breast. She consultant with a medical professional and expressed the concern that she may have breast cancer. She was told, not to worry.
“I was told, ‘Hispanic women don’t get cancer,'” Mercedes said. “But, I knew there was something abnormal, so I visited my gynecologist and he immediately scheduled me for tests.”
After her test, she was told she would receive a call within 2-3 days with the results. However, that very day, the doctor called and insisted on speaking to her husband. She in fact, had breast cancer.
“I felt like somebody punched me in the stomach,” Mercedes said to dozens of women who attended the West Michigan Cancer Center’s community awareness event Sept. 25 at Galilee Baptist Church in Kalamazoo. The event allowed other survivors to share their stories, as well as provide those in attendance with professional answers to their questions.
Women asked such questions as:
Do African American women need a different type of test in addition to a mammogram to detect breast cancer? While there are no separate tests for African American women, it was reported that there may be other measures, including blood tests, that would detect more aggressive types of cancer.
Do you need to get less tests if you tested negative? Doctors suggest annual mammograms, particularly as women get older, and have a history of cancer in their families.
The West Michigan Cancer Center hosts free breast examinations during October as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Last year, nearly 1,700 women took part in the free tests, and 10 percent of those women were offered follow-up medical tests. Of those 130 women, 7 were diagnosed with cancer.
The event not only allows women to be tested, but provides step-by-step guidance and counseling for those needing everything from medical insurance to emotional support. The church is one of the places targeted to provide education and support regarding breast cancer. Galilee Baptist Church’s First Lady, Min. Tamara Scott, has taken it upon herself to be an advocate for the mission in her church.
She said the church not only wants to educate women about breast cancer, but “celebrate the women who have survived.” She said she wants to do her part in bringing awareness to the disease all-year round.
Others, like Mercedes, didn’t have a history of breast cancer in her family. However, many families are seeing their first cases of the disease. Doctors suggest getting family medical history records, annual mammograms, and self-detection, to catch any evidence of the disease early.
Mercedes is a five-year cancer survivor, and makes it her mission to educate other Hispanic women that, Hispanic women are not exempt from breast cancer.
“It is your responsibility as a woman to get checked,” Mercedes said.
