As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Wake County is hosting events to encourage people to schedule mammograms. | Morguefile/GaborfromHungary
As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Wake County is hosting events to encourage people to schedule mammograms. | Morguefile/GaborfromHungary
Wake County officials and others took part in a research event this weekend that is part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
A big part of the event was making sure people recognize the importance of detecting breast cancer early through self-exams and mammograms.
They want to let people know “How important breast health is,” Kelli McNeill-Wilhelm, the event’s organizer said in a WTVD report.
For women who haven't had mammograms or haven't scheduled one lately, people at the event would help set up one. Men who stopped by were encouraged to arrange mammograms for the women in their lives, too.
It's all part of the movement to underscore early detection.
More than 4,000 women in Wake County were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2015-2019, and more than 500 of those women lost their lives.
About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer and the most significant risk factors are gender and age, according to Wake County officials. The good news is that most women can survive breast cancer if it's found and treated early, which is why the group was stressing the importance of screenings, both at home and through regular mammograms.
The county has other events scheduled throughout the month to help encourage people to take care of themselves when it comes to breast health.
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