October 2023 President’s Message

“My dear friend, Brandi Loyd, found out she tested positive for the BRCA2+ gene… Brandi had to make hard decisions on what preventative measures she needed to take.”

Read on for the rest of the October President’s Letter

We all constantly hear that it's Breast Cancer Awareness month and sometimes it might just fly right over your head. We're so busy with our daily lives that we just kind of go "oh yeah, it's October and it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month".  Well not this time for me!  I have two friends with different types of breast cancer and one that just took preventive measures not to. I also just had my "Annual"  last week where my doctor asked me if I'd been doing my breast exams regularly and I told her no. The look on her face! Since we've been friends for years she gave me a nice little lecture on the importance and said "just forgetting" is not a good excuse.  Apparently two of the women I know with breast cancer did their breast exams because that's what prompted them to see their doctors. My dear friend, Brandi Loyd (pictured above), found out she tested positive for the BRCA2+ gene. Her younger sister was diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer and her Aunt died of it also. Brandi had to make hard decisions on what preventative measures she needed to take. She chose to not only have a Double Mastectomy but have both ovaries and fallopian tubes taken out. With her dense breast tissue, family history, she had an 87% chance of getting breast cancer by age 70. She now holds less than a 9% risk. 

The reason I share this information with you is first, to remind you to do your breast exams. It's not ok to "just forget"! It's one of the easiest ways to save our lives in comparison to other things we have to do for our health. The second reason is because I want to encourage you to attend our especially important meeting this month to raise awareness for Women's Breast Health. 

Our speaker will be Jackie Lindsay, Imaging Nurse Navigator from Adventist Health. Jackie's role is pivotal in providing solace and understanding to breast imaging patients, guiding them from initial recalls to eventual diagnoses.  She will speak to us about breast cancer awareness and the importance of screening /mammograms. I also wanted to share that in September, Jackie received the Fall 2023 Angel Award. It is a quarterly award given by the chaplaincy team recognizing those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. We are honored to have Jackie speak with us this month and hope you will take advantage of attending. There is nothing more important than educating ourselves and being proactive with our health as women, especially when it comes to breast health! 
Although I will not see you at this meeting, I hope as many of you can be there and learn more about the importance of breast health and women's wellness. 

CLICK HERE to purchase your ticket to the October General Meeting today. The deadline to purchase tickets is October 15th. 

Lovingly,

Karen Mariano-Luckhardt, President