On June 4, 1970, a beautiful baby girl was born. This little carrot-top freckled-face girl was all smiles and full of joy. Little did we know that 41 years later, this beautiful little girl would face one of the biggest challenges of her life. In late 2011, Heather was diagnosed with a very aggressive breast cancer; grade 3, triple negative, stage 3. How could this happen? All her mammograms were negative for breast cancer, but the breast cancer had been there all along! The three large tumors hidden by her “dense” breast tissue had been missed on her mammograms. Had Heather not participated in her companies’ wellness program and received another type of breast cancer screening, she wouldn’t be here to tell her story. The months that followed were so difficult for this mother of two teenage girls. Heather endured 17 weeks of dose-intensive chemotherapy, bilateral mastectomies and eight surgeries.
Heather has been tireless in making sure others are educated about “dense” breast tissue and to educate women about their screening options. Wendy Damonte, whose mother died of breast cancer, partnered with Heather to bring awareness to women. As a result, AB 147 was signed into law in 2013 making it necessary for physicians to inform women if they have dense breast tissue. Heather didn’t stop with AB 147; she started a non-profit organization called Each One. Tell One.
“Our mission is simple, Each One… Tell One…. gives a voice to each person to tell their friends, family, neighbors the importance of knowing their breast density and offer education about additional screening options. It’s every woman’s right to know their breast tissue density!”
A quarter of a million women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the U.S., and over 40,000 die from this disease each year. Heather was determined to survive this nasty disease and live to educate others about breast cancer screening.
Help support this amazing cause by donating to Each One. Tell One. today. Get the word out and increase awareness of dense breast tissue.
Thank you for your support,
– Jacqueline Cox, RN, BSN, MPA, CNHC
CEO/President
*SOURCE: www.eachonetellone.org