ROANOKE, Va. – According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Meet Miranda Flannagan, a woman who faced this daunting diagnosis last year. She says she never would have thought she would be a breast cancer survivor.
“No, I never had one thought that I would have breast cancer. It’s one of those things where it’ll never happen to me. But doing your self-checks and going for your mammogram, it does save lives. It really does,” Miranda Flannagan, Breast Cancer Survivor said.
For Flannagan, there were no signs or symptoms; her diagnosis came solely from her mammogram results. She was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which is stage 0 breast cancer. Flannagan underwent a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction.
“I still don’t see myself as one of the people who had to deal with a lot more. Mentally, yes, I had to deal with a lot. But it takes a lot out of you,” Flannagan said.
Doctors recommend that individuals aged 40 and older should get a mammogram every year, in addition to performing self-examinations. It’s crucial to look for symptoms like:
- Skin dimpling (sometimes looking like an orange peel)
- Breast or nipple pain
- Nipple retraction (turning inward)
- Nipple or breast skin that is red, dry, flaking, or thickened
- Nipple discharge (other than breast milk)
- Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or near the collar bone (Sometimes this can be a sign of breast cancer spread even before the original tumor in the breast is large enough to be felt.)
- Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no lump is felt)
“The earlier I can find a breast cancer, we call it staging—meaning the smaller the tumor and the less evidence of spread, the better my ability to cure that patient is,” Dr. Birgit Arb, Medical Oncologist at Lewis Gale Pulaski said.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Maggie Shatzer, Flannagan’s daughter, is organizing a fundraiser to support the Carillon Breast Surgery Center, where her mother received treatment.
As a hairstylist at A New Slate in downtown Roanoke, she’s offering 20 percent off to anyone who chooses to add some pink to their hair.
“I really just want to attract free spirits that are up for a good cause. Like pink hair, for 20 percent off of my hair appointment, for breast cancer awareness, and half of it gets donated. Yeah,” Maggie Shatzer, Daughter of Miranda Flannagan said.
More information about the fundraiser: “Anyone wanting to participate is welcome to use the fundraiser as a standalone appointment or add on appointment there’s 3 ways to join in! 20% off your appointment by choosing a section of hair and using a temporary or demi-permanent pink! half of the price of your vivid pop goes to the fundraiser!10% off for $20 hair wraps added to appointments! Entire $20 goes to fundraiser!” Maggie Shatzer’s Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser! | Facebook
Flannagan has been cancer-free since last November and hopes to raise awareness for others facing similar challenges.