Simon: Screening is key to early detection, saving lives
CHICAGO - Oct. 24, 2014. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon today highlighted the importance of receiving regular mammograms to detect breast cancer in its early stages. Simon visited Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago where she underwent a mammogram and urged all women to make their health a priority and seek proactive screenings.
"Studies show that as we get older, women are at an increased risk of breast cancer," said Simon. "But this disease, which takes away so many of our mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and aunts, can be preventable and treatable with an earlier warning. I'm urging all women to get screened."
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The American Cancer Society recommends all women age 40 and older have a mammogram every year to screen for breast cancer.
"Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and early detection plays a critical role in its treatment," said Erin I. Neuschler, MD, associate director of breast imaging clinical operations for Northwestern Medicine and assistant professor of radiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "When breast cancer is detected at an early stage, it can be treated effectively in most women, and mammography is a proven method for early detection."
Simon chairs the Governor's Rural Affairs Council and advocated for improved access to women's health care in underserved areas. Throughout her term as Lt. Governor, Simon has used her own breast cancer screenings as a tool to encourage women throughout Illinois to seek proactive treatments.
"The process of getting a mammogram is quick and painless, and usually private," Simon added. "But if giving a peek into my exam room convinces even one woman to go out and get a mammogram, it's worth the discomfort."
Please see above for satellite uplink coordinates. Footage includes b-roll of Lt. Governor Simon's exam, as well as interviews with Simon and Dr. Neuschler.
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