BC Cancer

Breast Cancer Awareness month

Oct 5, 2021 | 5:16 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer.

An estimated seventy-five women are diagnosed with breast cancer each day in Canada. Although more and more become survivors, it is still the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Canadian women.

Christine Hazle is a survivor, she has been sharing her story and helping other women who are currently going through the same thing. When Hazle was diagnosed, she said it was the most shocking news she had ever received.

” I went for a mammogram in January of 2019, I was 51. I didn’t have any symptoms, or lumps, or any reason to think that, they might find anything it was just time.” explains Christine Hazle, a breast cancer survivor ” I was shocked three weeks later, I get a call saying that they found something and that they need to do further testing. I went through another mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy and I was diagnosed with stage 1, triple-negative breast cancer.”

Thankfully, after 3 months of chemo and a double mastectomy, Christine is now cancer-free. Now, she spends her time helping others and encouraging women to go and get checked out.

“My message is, it doesn’t matter if you have a family history, it doesn’t matter if you feel good. You don’t have to feel lumps or bumps, you don’t have to feel anything, it can be there. Catching it early is absolutely your best chance to have a good outcome.”

Dr. Colin Mar is the Medical Director of the BC cancer breast screening program and he says it’s important to be breast aware and urges women over 40 to get regularly tested.

“So what that means is, the risk is about one-in-eight women over their lifetime will develop breast cancer, and about one in 33 will die of breast cancer.”

To book a mammogram you can call 1-800-663-9203. For more information head to bccancer.bc.ca