How time flies! Another year has gone by and once again, it is time for our Sponsored Walk along Lumley Beach to raise awareness about breast cancer. It is a Family Walk, this time; no one is excluded since breast cancer is no respecter of age, gender, race, or religious belief. The main focus of our current fundraising efforts is acquiring a mammogram machine for the Well Woman Clinic. To illustrate the importance of this project, a few months ago, a friend and supporter of the Clinic reported a lump in her breast as soon as she discovered it. This was just a few weeks before she was due to travel abroad, and she had already scheduled a series of routine health checks. While she congratulated herself for reporting the lump as soon as she found it, she was also cross with herself for not having had a mammogram for three years. Indeed, the tests she had later revealed that the cancer had existed for quite a while - fortunately, a slow growing tumour, still confined to her breast. A mammogram is an an x-ray that allows a specialist to examine breast tissue and spot any suspicious areas. It is administered routinely to screen symptom-free women, but is also a useful diagnostic tool when women present with signs and symptoms of cancer, such as: lumps; breast pain; nipple discharge; thickening of skin on the breast; changes in the size or shape of the breast. We remain optimistic about our friend’s health but feel that if we don’t succeed in acquiring a mammogram, the Clinic will continue to fail the thousands of other women who come to us for help. Please help us save lives.
