New Carrollton Councilmember Cynthia D. B. Mills describes her breast cancer experience in a video posted Oct. 29, and she urges others to get checked, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Mills says she had stage 1 cancer and no symptoms, and that it was found because she kept watching her mammograms.
What Mills Said
Mills said a small dot showed up on her mammogram two years in a row. After the third time, she said, her doctor told her it had not grown. She chose to seek more evaluation. Her old images were compared, a biopsy was done, and she had surgery the following Tuesday, she said.
“Just because you get a mammogram does not mean you’re fine,” Mills said. She said she went home the evening of her surgery and led a council meeting the next night. She told only two family members, she said, and a friend took her to the hospital.
Mills urged people to stop putting off checkups. “Stop saying I’ll do it later,” she said. She also pointed to worries about cost and about family history, saying family history does not always predict who will get cancer. The video did not say when her diagnosis took place.
What Officials Recommend
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a screening mammogram every two years for women ages 40 to 74 at average risk. The American Cancer Society’s schedule differs: it recommends yearly screening for women ages 45 to 54. People should talk with their doctor about what is right for them, including if they have a family history or other risk factors.
Free and Low-Cost Screening in Maryland
Maryland’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Program provides screening, including mammograms, for eligible women. The state health department’s page lists services and eligibility.
According to Maryland 211, residents can call 1-800-477-9774. Prince George’s County residents can call the county health department’s program at 301-552-7724.
Where to Learn More
Women who want to know whether they qualify for free screening can use the state program’s page or call the numbers above. Anyone with a question about when to be screened, or who notices a change in their breasts, can ask a doctor. Mills’s message in the video was simple: don’t wait until the last minute.
