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Breast Health Forum set Jan. 10 at Beebe Health Campus on Route 24

Free screenings for those who qualify
December 30, 2012

Sussex County resident Tenya Waples says she would not be riding a bicycle today if she hadn’t gone to the doctor when she found a lump on her breast. She was only 39 years old; it was the encouragement of friends and family that sent her for diagnosis and treatment.

Waples was treated at Beebe Medical Center’s Tunnell Cancer Center.

“There is one thing I know for sure,” she said following her treatment. “You have to do things you have never done before.”

As 2013 begins, Tunnell Cancer Center reminds women of the importance of self-examinations starting at age 18 and annual mammograms after the age of 40. For those who cannot afford this important cancer screening test, or those who do not know where to turn once they have felt a lump on their breast, they can contact Beebe Medical Center cancer screening nurse navigator Debbie Campbell, RN, at 302-645-3169.

She can sign them up for the next monthly Breast Health Forum, to take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m.,Thursday, Jan. 10, at Tunnell Cancer Center at the Beebe Health Campus on John J. Williams Highway (Route 24) near Rehoboth Beach.

The forum includes a mammogram and breast health information. Preregistration is required. Free transportation can be arranged to and from the screening site. This breast health program is funded by a grant from the Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

“We know that early detection is the key to saving lives,” Campbell said. “With the new year upon us, we encourage all women to make sure that getting an annual mammogram is on their list of new year’s resolutions, if they have not been getting them already.”

Waples knows it, too. Being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer made her realize the importance of every moment of her life.

“I’ve opened my eyes to new experiences,” she said. Since her treatment, Waples has learned to swim, to bicycle and to meditate.

Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness and restore optimal health for the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities it serves. For more information, go to www.beebemed.org.

 

 

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