Linda Hall: Early breast screening a must

The Breast Cancer Foundation is calling for free breast screening to be available for women once they reach 40.

The current age is 45, however, the foundation says an increasing number of women are being diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 45.

Why not? I'm sure the main obstacle is the cost but surely the cost of prevention far outweighs the cost of treatment.

I can only imagine what it's like to be told you have cancer, I hope I never find out.

But I do know what's it's like to have family and friends diagnosed with this disease that seems to be a growing epidemic.

If there was a way to measure the emotional cost of being diagnosed, having to tell family and friends, going through the treatment, perhaps losing a breast, in monetary terms it would be millions upon millions of dollars.

We all know that early detection is the key to beating it. Breast screening has already saved thousands of lives so why not make it available for women as soon as possible.
Forty is certainly not old, neither is 45.

These days many women in their early 40s are just starting a family or have young children. They need to be around to bring up their children.

While self-examination is a great tool, if done properly and on a regular basis, it's so easy to forget as women deal with their busy lives.

We also have to ask the question - why are women getting breast cancer earlier? I'm certainly no doctor or scientist so I can only speculate.

Are we rubbing too many lotions into our skin, are we taking too many potions and pills?

There are always new studies telling us that this or that causes cancer.

I've written about breast cancer before and no doubt I will again. It's one of the subjects, just like domestic violence, that I think needs to be written about, talked about, discussed by all and sundry, no matter what age, race or creed.

Hopefully the Breast Cancer Foundation will get its way.

On a lighter note, I along with hundreds of others, braved the cold to attend the Blossom Parade on Saturday.

I must admit when we arrived in town about 10.45am I was worried. Not because I thought it might rain but because there was hardly anyone about.

We were right outside Focal Point and after a warming coffee and some delicious buffalo fries (for the children of course) we stood kerbside.

The street slowly filled, it was cold - so good on all those people that ventured out to watch and clap as the parade went by.

Watchers, however, had the the bonus of jackets, scarves, hats and gloves, unlike some of the marchers who boldly strode through the streets scantily clad with huge smiles on their faces.

There may not have been many floats but there were certainly plenty of participants - well done Hastings.

- Linda Hall is assistant editor of Hawke's Bay Today.