Northside Hospital honors cancer survivors tomorrow in Forsyth

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, Northside Hospital's Breast Care Program will continue its tradition this October of honoring breast cancer survivors with the hanging of a giant pink ribbon at its Forsyth campus.

The ribbon will honor survivors of breast cancer and serve as a reminder to all Atlanta women to get their annual mammograms and clinical breast exams.

As the leader in women's services, Northside Hospital diagnoses and treats more than 900 cases of breast cancer each year, more than any other hospital in Georgia. The pink ribbon will hang on the front of Northside Hospital-Forsyth's surgery center, 1200 Northside Forsyth Drive, Cumming, to be seen by the thousands who travel on GA 400 every day throughout the month of October.

A reception to celebrate the ribbon hanging, honor breast cancer survivors and kickoff to Breast Cancer Awareness Month will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in the surgery center, at 2:15 p.m. Guest speakers will be on hand to talk about the importance of breast cancer awareness and to honor all those who have fought the disease. The community is invited to attend.

"Breast Cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States and one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths among women," said Susan Casella, breast health coordinator with Northside's Breast Care Program. "One in eight women will develop some form of this diagnosis in the course of their lifetime."

Casella believes education and early detection is paramount in successful treatment and cure.

"Breast Cancer Awareness Month is dedicated to emphasize the importance of early detection, educate women of all ages and raise funds for research to find a cure," she said.

The American Cancer Society states that getting annual mammograms and clinical breast exams, as well as performing monthly breast self-exams offers women the best opportunity for reducing the risk of breast cancer death. Most women can follow these American Cancer Society guidelines for good breast health:

• Ages 20 to 39:

Monthly breast self-exam and a clinical breast examination every three years

• Ages 40 and over:

Baseline mammogram by age 40, then annual mammogram screenings after age 40; clinical breast exam every year, scheduled close to and before mammogram, monthly self breast exams.

The Breast Care Program at Northside Hospital provides women with education, screening, diagnosis, treatment and support for every aspect of breast care.

- www.northfulton.com

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