Breast cancer survivor and teacher learns a lesson from her students.
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Highlights
- Read the American Cancer Society guidelines for early detection of breast cancer. Click here.
- An exciting new outreach program for African American women appears to significantly improve early-stage breast cancer detection. Click here to learn all about the program.
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It wasn’t long after the school year had started in 2005 when high school teacher Rita Gore was at her doctor’s office for her annual exam. Her doctor suggested that she have her mammogram while she was there, too. So she did. Then she received a call from the doctor’s office. The person told her, “We‘ve found something. We need to do a biopsy. We just need to check it out,” Rita recalls.
American Cancer Society Guidelines for Early Detection of Breast Cancer
- Yearly mammograms are recommended starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health.
- Clinical breast exam (CBE) should be part of a periodic health exam, about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women age 40 and older.
- Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any breast change to their health care providers right away. Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s.
- Women at high risk (greater than 20% lifetime risk) should get an MRI and a mammogram every year. Women at moderately increased risk (15% to 20% lifetime risk) should talk with their doctors about the benefits and limitations of adding MRI screening to their yearly mammogram. Yearly MRI screening is not recommended for women whose lifetime risk of breast cancer is less than 15%.
It was the next call that brought the crushing news. She had stage I breast cancer. Rita was at her school in Pickerington, Ohio, when she got the call. "It was like my whole world was falling apart," Rita says. "I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I went into my office and I stood there and I just started crying."
In late November 2005, Rita had a lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiation soon after. That’s when she really began to appreciate the meaning of support – and it came from everywhere.
During treatment, she found an unexpected strength in her students. "I really saw a side of my kids that I hadn’t seen before – their compassion," she says. "They gave me a lot of strength as I went through the chemo and the radiation. They always had positive things to say. They gave me notes of encouragement. They gave me little gifts of appreciation."
She also had a lot of support from her family and colleagues. And she found comfort and strength in prayer.
"My diagnosis brought everyone who was a part of my life even closer. We are wiser, and we have a better appreciation now for life and our blessings," said Rita.
Rita is now cancer-free, but she has her check-ups every 6 months and tries to exercise regularly, eat well, limit her stress, and, generally, be happy. She also continues her teaching at the Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools.
Despite this busy schedule, Rita also takes time to volunteer with the American Cancer Society. She joined an outreach program that encourages African American women to get mammograms to find breast cancer early, when it is easiest to treat, so they can stay well. "I was blessed to be in stage I," says Rita. "Many women of African American descent are in stage III or IV before they get tested or diagnosed. Early detection is so important."
Rita works to empower women with education about screening and to encourage them to invest in their health seriously. “That's the key – knowledge," she says."
The American Cancer Society helps people stay well by helping them take steps to reduce their risk of cancer or detect it at its earliest, most treatable stage. Visit cancer.org/breastcancer to find out how you can help create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's a great time to remind a friend or relative to have a mammogram and to be sure you schedule your own. See our article on the research that shows how successful reminders are!
