SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Just a year ago, WSAV’s Kim Gusby was celebrating new beginnings.
At age 57, she married Marcus, the love of her life, and with their newly blended family, the two of them committed to love and care for each other in sickness and in health.
She continued that promise to take care of her health as one of the women who came to WSAV’s Mammography Day.
"I think it's very important especially for women, and men, to get screened and have their annual mammogram because I have friends who have had the disease and come out on the other side and are no longer here with us,” Kim said. “And I've had friends who've had the disease and are still fighting are warriors and who have overcome breast cancer."
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She says it's especially important that she gets her yearly exam because she has dense breasts, which could make it more difficult for conventional diagnostic imaging tools to detect cancer.
"It's a personal reason for me because I have dense breasts as do many Black women,” Kim said. “And it's hard for cancer to be detected with a regular mammogram. So I knew that they were doing the 3D imagery here and that way they can see what's actually going on with my breasts. So I feel so relieved to know that this is an option here."
Because she's looking forward to a brighter future, she's encouraging her adult children and other family members to prioritize their own breast health.
"I was talking to my oldest daughter just the other day about the importance of her doing her self-breast exam or maybe even getting a baseline exam,” Kim said, “because we know that these things can happen at any age."
“We're talking about life or death. This is something that could potentially save your life.”
WSAV News 3 is On Your Side with Buddy Check 3 every third of the month to remind you and your buddies to complete your breast self-exams.
Click or tap here to learn more about the program.
If you have any questions or concerns about breast health, call the St. Joseph's/Candler Lewis Cancer and Research Pavilion at 912-819-7053.