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'Friends for Life' Help
Remember Breast Exams



Amercian News Service

Knowing that many women put off breast exams out of fear or lack of information, health-care services and the media in Macon, Ga. have joined forces to encourage women who share a risk of breast cancer to help each other prevent it.

At the current rate, one in nine American women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. But if detected early, through self examination and mammography, the chances of survival can be dramatically increased.

The "Friend for Life" program, sponsored by local Gannett news station 13 WMAZ and the Medical Center of Central Georgia's Focal Pointe Women, pairs a woman with a friend, relative, co-worker or neighbor to remind each other to do a monthly breast self exam.

The Friend for Life partnership arrangement results in regular self exams and encourages women to support each other in the process, says Amy Fowles, 13 WMAZ's community relations manager. "Women are a source of strength for each other."

Using promotional spots on newscasts and appearances at local malls, the station distributes free Friend for Life kits which include a shower card with instructions on self examination, information on breast cancer from Focal Pointe Women and the American Cancer Society, and 12 calendar stickers to mark the 13th of every month as "Friend for Life" day.

WMAZ also runs a story related to breast cancer on the 13th of every month, with themes varying from treatment options to support groups to survivor stories. Tina Hicks, a local anchorwoman, inaugurated the series by going for a mammogram herself. Hicks had been worried for some time about a lump in her breast but the test revealed it was only a cyst.

WMAZ producer Lisa Phillips says that choosing a role model like Hicks, whom area women respect and relate to, helps local women confront the issue of breast cancer in their own lives. "A lot of women have called in to let her know how thankful they are for her stories. Her participation really promotes the idea that women must support each other in the fight against breast cancer."

Since the Friends for Life program started in May 1997, more than 11,000 kits have been given away, and Focal Pointe Women reports a 300 percent increase in the number of women coming in for mammography. To celebrate the program's one-year anniversary, the station is planning a four-part series on Friends for Life success stories, featuring women whose participation in the program helped them avert breast cancer.

Posted: May 26, 1998
Copyright 1998 American News Service

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  • American Cancer Society
  • WMAZ-TV
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