Georgia was born in 1957 and is proud of her 50 plus years. What she isn’t so proud of is that she delayed her mammogram an extra year. “Time got away,” she admitted. “It is easy to do.”
With dense breast tissue, she knew that 3D mammography was important for diagnosing breast cancer early. What she didn’t know is how her delayed mammogram would impact her life.
After two years Georgia took the time to come in for her mammogram at Windsong. The 3D mammogram revealed a suspicious change to her dense breast tissue. A subsequent biopsy led to the dreaded call from the doctor which confirmed that she had breast cancer. ”I had been very healthy my whole life, but everything changed with that 30 second phone call statement,” Georgia recalled.
This was not a case of early detection and what followed was a radical mastectomy and the removal of multiple lymph nodes. Her surgery was performed by board certified breast care surgeon, Dr. Michael Peyser. His extensive background in surgical oncology was a huge benefit to Georgia as she entered an aggressive treatment plan of chemo and radiation which required her to be out of work for 7 months.
Today Georgia is extremely diligent about getting her exams on a timely basis and she has advice for any woman thinking of putting off her mammogram. “Your life can change drastically with a phone call,” she said. “Just do it every year,” she urges.
Many guidelines suggest that women of average risk (above the age of 55) don’t need to get screened annually. This makes Georgia crazy, as she says she is a perfect example of a woman of average risk that waited two years and was then diagnosed with an advanced stage of breast cancer. Georgia wonders how much different her diagnosis and treatment would have been if she came back after a year, and recommends that women take the advice of breast specialists and get screened annually. She reminds everyone that it could save you time, aggressive treatment, and most importantly, your life.
Need to schedule a mammogram? Contact Windsong today!
