Breast cancer survivor speaks out following new ACS guidelines; “be aware of your body”

The American Cancer Society is raising the age when it comes to getting mammograms. The ACS now says women should begin yearly exams at the age 45.

Breast cancer survivors, however, say early detection could be key.

Emilie Rudolph is a survivor; she found out she had breast cancer in 2013.

“It was hot… and I put my hand in my armpit and as I was reading an email, I felt a lump in my armpit…. I had never detected anything in my breast,” said Rudolph.

She had just turned 43 when she made the alarming discovery.

“I was a stage 2, so it was in the lymph nodes… and I did a double mastectomy and four rounds of chemo,” Rudolph said.

Rudolph turned to her family and three sons for constant support.

“Humor is probably the one thing that got me through it all. I consider my boys probably the funniest peple I have ever dealt with. They kept it light for me,” explained Rudolph. “Had I waited, who knows where I would be now. I could be worse.”

That’s why Rudolph says new medical guidelines are surprising. The American Cancer Society discovered that mammograms have a relatively high false positive rate before the age of 45. It can mean painful and time-consuming tests, only to find out they do not have cancer.

“When you break down the decade of the 40s, women ages 40-44 act differently than 45-49 when it comes to cancer risk,” said Toni Green-Cheatwood, Director of Breast Oncology at Penrose Hospital.

Rudolph says these changes are scary to think about after what she has been through in the past two years.

“Nothing’s foolproof… So be aware of your body, what something looks like, what it feels like,” Rudolph advised.