Chocolate, Charity and Valentine's Day . . A Winning Combination! Pay it Forward

Hi Ed, 

Thank you for getting the message out about Are You Dense, Inc. and Fascia's chocolates.  I am always amazed at the thoughtfulness of people like you, who hear the message about Are You Dense, Inc. and, through their talents, help us expose the secret of dense breast tissue.  

I was so humbled by Carmen Romeo of Fascia's Chocolates who called me to tell me of his idea to raise money and awareness of dense breast tissue this Valentine's Day.  My husband came up with the wording on the box "Breast Density is like a box of chocolates:  You don't know what's hidden inside".  Inside each box is a message from Are You Dense, Inc. and facts about breast density.  We know that up to 40% of cancers in women with dense breast tissue are not seen by mammography alone - and there are tools, like ultrasound and MRI that can double the rate of detection.  Why don't women know this?

I had a decade of "normal" mammograms - and ended up with an advanced stage 3C breast cancer - the cancer had spread to 13 lymph nodes.  Imagine - a normal mammography report (HAPPY GRAM) weeks before.  Is that Early Detection?  This was the first time I was told that I had dense breast tissue and what that meant to me.   I pledged never to let another woman suffer the tragedy of an advanced stage diagnosis - that is how Are You Dense? was born.  95% of women do not know their breast density - even though it is a risk factor and ONLY one in 10 women find out about breast density from their physician.  Presently we are the only state in the nation that communicates breast density information to the patient through her mammography report.  We are working with women in 8 other states to enact similar legislation in addition to a federal bill. 

Your blog is playing a part in exposing the secret!  Thanks Ed as you are paying it forward!

Sincere thanks as Early Detection is Sweet!

Nancy Cappello

http://www.areyoudense.org    http://www.facebook.com/areyoudense