Kirkland Cancer Center urges women to get screenings during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

JACKSON, TN (WNBJ) - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and many in the medical field are concerned that women have put off Breast Cancer screenings due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As Breast Cancer Awareness month comes to a close, the Kirkland Cancer Center here in Jackson wants to encourage women to schedule their Breast Cancer screenings with a physician. Medical professionals here say early detection is key when fighting this disease.

“Breast Cancer Awareness Month this year has major significance. In the United States, studies have found that over one-third of adults failed to get their recommended screening in 2020 during the pandemic," said Carrie Ann Knox, an R.N. and the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Kirkland Cancer Center.

The Kirkland Cancer Center believes delayed or skipped screenings will result in serious repercussions.

“The American Cancer Society has predicted we will start seeing more late-stage breast cancer. We want to see early-stage breast cancer if we see breast cancer at all because we can treat them better and treat them easier,” said Knox.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women.

Henderson resident and breast cancer survivor, Vicki Rush, was diagnosed with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer last summer and is now cancer-free.

“Because earlier you catch it the better it is. I had been having problems for a year, but they couldn’t figure it out. If you think there is something wrong with your body just keep on. You have to take care of yourself. You got to tell the doctors so they will maybe go further with other tests they can do,” said Vicki Rush, a Breast Cancer Survivor and Henderson resident.

With breast cancer being the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Vicki says her cancer journey has given her a renewed appreciation for life.

“Any time I can go anywhere, I am going because you are not promised tomorrow, nobody is so anytime I can go, I am going with them,” said Rush.

The Kirkland Cancer Center will be hosting a free breast cancer screening for uninsured or under-insured women on Saturday, November 13 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

You can register for your screening by calling 731-541-5087.