Community Health Network calls on young women to ‘Commit to One’ day for a self-exam to raise awareness about breast cancer risks and prevention

Indianapolis—Community Health Network is calling on women under 40 to 'Commit to One' day to do a breast self-exam to raise awareness about breast cancer risks and prevention.

Although October is recognized as a month dedicated to breast cancer awareness, Community aims to keep the conversation top of mind, since breast cancer impacts women every day of the year.

The ‘Commit to One,’ campaign encourages women under the age of 40, the age recommended to begin annual mammograms, to commit to one day a month for a breast self-exam. A pledge page on the Indianapolis-based health system’s website asks women to ‘sign’ the pledge by listing the date they choose to conduct the self-exam.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), one in ten women diagnosed with breast cancer are under the age of 45. In addition, breast cancer in younger women is more likely to be found at a later stage, is more aggressive and difficult to treat.

Studies show younger women who have breast cancer may ignore the warning signs, such as a breast lump or unusual discharge, because they believe they are too young to get breast cancer.

Lauren Dages was one of those women. At the age of 33 and a new mother, she was diagnosed with Stage 2B triple negative breast cancer. Her journey began when she had difficulty nursing her newborn son. The Indianapolis salon owner discussed her concern with a longtime client, who is a Community nurse practitioner (NP), during a visit to the salon. The NP helped her schedule a mammogram on the spot.

“I always thought when you are 40, you start getting mammograms,” said Dages. “I am a big advocate now for, ‘you’re not too young for cancer’”.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death and among the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in Indiana and the United States, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Black/African American women under the age of 35 have two times the rate of a breast cancer diagnosis than white women of the same age.

“It wasn’t a thought for me because I was so young,” said Markeeta Morrow, a single parent of three who was diagnosed with Stage 2 triple negative breast cancer at the age of 32. She discovered a lump in her breast and knew it required a follow up with her primary care physician.

Like Dages, Morrow is an advocate of breast self-exams.

“I want people to know cancer has no age limit,” said Morrow. “You just have to be in tune with your body and if something is wrong don’t ignore it thinking it will go away because it won’t. It will get worse.”

A step-by-step guide on how to conduct a breast self-exam and a link to the ‘Commit to One' pledge page can be found here.