mammogram – Bare it All

In the final installment of our special four-part series on breast cancer, Dr. Sharon Mass opens up about her very personal battle:

When I was a child, my parents called me “Sunshine.” They joked about how I was an eternal optimist, always seeing the proverbial glass half-full. That optimism was tested when, at 43, I was diagnosed with breast cancer by a routine mammogram. As an OB-GYN, I had given cancer news to many patients. However, on a Friday in May 2011—Friday the 13th to be exact—I found myself on the other side of the phone.

Four-and-a-half years later, with pink ribbons fluttering in every storefront, pink shoes on the feet of NFL players and ‘turn-it-pink’ activities at my kids’ high school, I can’t help but relive the moments that had such a lasting impact on my life. In doing so, I can reflect on the impact that those four words—“You have breast cancer”—have had on me and those around me….

Welcome to our special month-long series in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, featuring Dr. Sharon Mass, our exclusive medical correspondent. She’s an OBGYN as well as a survivor. Stop back each week as we zero in on a different facet of the disease including genetic testing, the legacy of the pink ribbon and Dr. Mass’ own story. We’re starting with an overview of the disease and the latest advance in mammography.

Every day, our Bra Fit Experts field calls from breast cancer survivors. Breasts, bras, femininity and identity are all inextricably, powerfully linked:
• A woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes in America
• It’s the most common cancer in women worldwide
• It’s the second leading cause of cancer death in women
• 27% of all new cancer cases in women will be breast cancer
• In the U.S. alone, there are almost 3 million breast cancer survivors

Mammography is the only screening test that’s been shown to decrease the risk of dying from breast cancer. We sat down for a Q&A with Dr. Mass on this newest innovation in breast cancer detection.