Filed under: Interviews, Women's Health, Diet & Nutrition, Fitness, Disease Prevention, Cancer
Breast Cancer. Pam Melton-Owens was just 39 when the doctor first uttered those words to her. How could it be? She did not fit the profile. She exercised regularly, had a small build and ate a healthy diet.
But she quickly learned that breast cancer knows no bounds. The diagnosis, however, marked the start of a 10-year-journey that began when her husband Aaron discovered a lump in her left breast. Melton-Owens, 50, said it is important to tell her story during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"The next day I called my gynecologist and she immediately did a clinical exam,'' said Melton-Owens, a mother of two who lives in Charlotte, N.C. "We did a mammogram and the doctor determined it needed to be reviewed. That next week, I went to a surgeon who performed a biopsy.
"That's when I got the report that it was cancerous,'' she continued. "That's also when the Lord whispered to me that it wasn't about me. It was about the journey. Since then, it's been an amazing journey and I have become a better person. It's amazing how it changes your life. It changed mine for the better. I look for more ways I can help other people. I've taken the focus off myself.''
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today (after lung cancer) and is the most common cancer among women, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers, according to the American Cancer Society's (ACS) Web site. About 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually worldwide and about 465,000 will die from the disease, the site says.
The statistics are even worse for African American women, who have the highest death rate from breast cancer and are more likely to be diagnosed with a later stage of breast cancer than white women, according to the ACS. While researchers are trying to determine the cause of the death rate, some medical experts attribute it to disparities in health care treatment and concerns in the black community about treatment causing the cancer to spread.
"To combat these misunderstandings about cancer and its treatment, African Americans must be informed that, in many cases, surgery is, in fact, an essential aspect of cancer treatment,'' Karin Stanford, writes in 'Breaking The Silence: Inspirational Stories of Black Cancer Survivors.' "Surgery is frequently used to remove a cancerous tumor and nearby tissues that might contain cancer cells.''
Medical experts always have used mammogram screenings as an important tool for breast cancer detection. Many encourage women to begin annual screenings at the age of 40. But a federal panel caused a firestorm of controversy last year when it recommended that women in their 40s stop getting the exams and that older women should get screenings every other year. But advocacy groups such as the ACS stepped in and continued to recommend that women who turn 40 receive the annual screenings as long as they are in good health.
While Melton-Owens did not catch her cancerous lump as a result of a mammogram, she encourages women, especially African Americans, to get annual screenings. A screening at the age of 39 saved her life. She recently learned, however, that the cancer after going into remission had metastasized to her lungs. In January, she received a clean slate after intensive chemotherapy for a year.
Today, she enjoys a vegan diet, a regular exercise routine and frequent doctor's visits for check ups. Now, more than ever, she enjoys helping others by telling her story of strength and fortitude.
"I give God all of the glory,'' said the former telephone sales representative. "I feel wonderful. I feel blessed.''