So, it's been two years. I mentioned last year in this column that a mammogram saved my life. Am I grateful! Who would have thought I would need a lifesaving mammogram (special X-rays of the breast that can detect cancer)? I lived a healthy life-never smoked, never a drinker, careful with my diet, and had led an active lifestyle. Fortunately, since I turned 40, I had regular screenings for breast cancer. It saved my life.

At 51, I had a suspicious mammogram, then a needle biopsy, which showed a tiny, aggressive cancer in my breast-so small it was removed by the biopsy itself. I just had to have a little tissue removed, which confirmed it hadn't spread. Because I'd caught it early, I'm cancer-free.

If you're a woman over 40, please get an annual mammogram. If you can't afford one, call the state Department of Health Services at (800) 511-2300. It's Your Life. A message from the California Health Communication Partnership, supported by the Oliver and Jennie Donaldson Charitable Trust.

FACT: A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that mammograms contributed to a 24 percent decline in deaths from breast cancer between 1990 and 2000.



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