Lumps

Hearing the diagnosis for those thousands of women is terrifying, but equally scary are those weeks and days that pass between finding a lump in your breast and knowing if it’s something to worry about. It’s a game of Russian Roulette, and you always feel like you’re going to lose.

 

When I cross the border from Canada to the US the stakes associated with finding a lump in your breast go up. Do you have insurance? Where are you going to go to get a mammogram? Who are the best doctors? Do you know someone who can get you in quickly.

 

I was recently faced with this scary reality as a friend of mine found lumps in both breasts. She is nearing 30. She works for Medicaid. She is one of the 13.2 million “young invincibles” who are uninsured. The largest group of uninsured in the US are between 19 and 29 years of age. She is feeling anything but invincible at the moment.

 

Lucky for us, we have the internet. After calling a roster of hospitals in the area who provide Breast Cancer screening, I called Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Their Breast Diagnostic Imaging Center was helpful, and as soon as he heard she had no insurance he forwarded me to BECH (Breast Examination Center of Harlem).

 

BECH was founded in 1979 as an outreach program by Memorial Sloan-Kettering and has screened more than 200,000 women. They offer free Breast Exams, Mammograms, Pelvic Exams and PAP smears. All services are free of charge and if something of concern is found they are able to refer you to a clinic that can help and provide advice on financial aids. If everything is normal, you are encouraged to come back in a year for a follow-up visit.

 

Finding BECH was the best thing that could happen to us. The idea of a free service, especially one that was so warm during a time of terror was amazing. The staff helped her make an appointment on the phone and when she broke down crying was supportive, reassuring her they would help her get through this.

 

The appointment is on Monday, and I refuse to even entertain the thought of a positive result. It is wonderful to know that there are services here in New York for those of us in a difficult spot. It also made me realize how important screening for Breast Cancer is, and that there is no excuse to not get a mammogram... now for anyone. Insured or not.