Millions of Americans were shocked a few weeks ago, when The American Cancer Society put out recommendation that the age for annual mammograms be set at 45, versus age 40 previously, with the added shocking recommendation that women over 55 should get mammograms every other year.
It is reported that this year alone, more than 40,000 women will die of breast cancer in the U.S, which made the guidelines issued by the American Cancer Society more perplexing.
Thousands of women get diagnosed with breast cancer annually. Younger women and African-American women tend of have more aggressive breast cancers and a higher mortality rate!
With confusion reigning supreme on all levels, from the mass media spouting conflicting data as to when women should get mammograms to local doctors scratching their heads as to what to advise their patients, this issue has hit a crisis point.
Maimah Karmo, who hails from Washington D.C. by way of New York and formerly Liberia, has become a renowned expert in this field, and has some strong advice on the matter. “We need to ensure young girls become knowledgeable about their breast health at a very early age,” she noted. “Young women get breast cancer and all women at all ages deserve the right to be screened. In addition, a woman's healthcare decisions should be in her owns and a decision made by her and a doctor, not mis-guided policies."
Karmo knows firsthand. After surviving 3 wars in her native Liberia, , Karmo eventually settled down in Washington D.C. and had a daughter. And then – she discovered she had breast cancer, at the age of 32.
“18,000 young women under the age of 18 get diagnosed with breast cancer every year,” she said.“I was lucky. My mother was a nurse, and from a very young age she taught me to examine my breasts.
I began doing it every month religiously part of my shower didn’t think about cancer just doing self exams.” Pausing for a moment she added, “18 years later I found a lump and I remember our 18 year old conversation playing in my hand, she had said “if you do your breast exams regularly and something changes, you’ll know” if it’s bad and I knew.”
After rushing to a doctor and having a mammogram, Karmo was well prepared for what came next.
“My Surgeon said the mammogram came back clean so you don’t have cancer. She also said that I was "too young to get breast cancer. “But I knew my body well, so I kept on pushing for a biopsy.
After pushing for additional screening, Karmo had her biopsy and got the life changing news: she had one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer: triple negative breast cancer.
While in treatment for breast cancer, Karmo said she kept her young daughter in the loop of the reality of her breast cancer, since knowledge after all is power. “My mother’s teaching me to check my breasts from very early age saved my life,” she noted. While undergoing her second chemotherapy treatment, Karmo realized that cancer was a big wake up call and decided to do something about it. That "something" was the Tigerlily Foundation, with a mission to educate, advocate for, empower and support young women - before, during and after breast cancer.
Maimah's advocacy is strong and resonates with millions of Americans, and she has been featured on television shows, in magazines, and in national and local press. She is the author of "Fearless - Awakening to my Life's Purpose to Breast Cancer".
Next up for this courageous woman are two events.
November 13 - EmPOWER Cocktail & Recognition Reception
November 13, 2015
6:00 p.m. – 9 :00 p.m.
oin Tigerlily Foundation Board Members, Ambassadors, Pink Tie Guys, Sponsors and Honored Guests, as we celebrate milestones from the last nine years, recognize our sponsors and raise funds for programs supporting young breast cancer survivors.
Tigerlily Foundation focuses on education, prevention and support by offering programs such as the Funds for Families Program (providing financial assistance), Hope Bag Program (providing newly diagnosed women Hope Bags that include goodies to pamper, soothe, educate, empower and manage stress during treatment), At Home Program (offering household-needs and grocery gift cards to patients), Peer Education Through Awareness and Leadership (PETALs) Program (providing prevention education for girls and young women) and many other programs. In addition, we advocate on Capital Hill for young women’s breast health issues, through our Young Women’s Breast Health Day on the Hill panel discussions.
Hyatt Regency Tyson’s Corner Center (Near Lord & Taylor)
7901 Tyson’s One Place, Tyson’s Corner, VA 22102
www.tigerlilyfoundation.org
November 17 - The public cannot attend this event, but the media will cover it. 10 young women from 10 states will fly into Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress to discuss breast cancer and how important it is to have screenings young - much younger than 45. These women are all young - and have breast cancer.
