Thursday 17 January 2008

A Walk on the Safe Side: Get Your Mammograms

Yesterday was a gorgeous, not-too-cold day in Montreal with fresh snow on the ground. I spent a good part of the afternoon walking around in the fine weather, arranging to send a friend's mammograms to France for her where she has moved.

I couldn't help thinking of the walks I took summer before last. Five days a week for five weeks I made my way across Mount Royal to the Montreal General Hospital for radiation after a lumpectomy of suspicious tissue, a ductal carcinoma in situ. The walks through the park were a pleasure, and I'm sure the reason I came through the treatment with absolutely no side effects is due to the big dose of nature I got every day.

Thank goodness that is behind me, but the follow-up to that train of thought is not. Women over 50 should get regular mammograms because they can show up cancer in its very early stages when treatment is extremely effective and nearly trouble-free. Take a walk on the safe side and, if you're a woman of a certain age, call about a mammogram today. If you're a man, makes sure the women in your life do so.

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