If there's anyone out there still wondering about the importance of mammograms, the latest news from ABC will convince you otherwise. Last month, in a segment geared toward Breast Cancer Awareness Month, news corrrespondent Amy Robach underwent a mammogram live on Good Morning America. Robach was initially hesitant after pushing off the exam for almost a year, but coworker Robin Roberts convinced her with the appeal that if even one life could be saved by the segment, it was all worth it. Shockingly, that sentiment came true for Robach herself.
This morning, the anchor confirmed to audiences that she was diagnosed with breast cancer following the on-air mammogram. She's gone through a battery of tests and will have a double mastectomy this week. "On Thursday, Nov. 14, I will go into surgery where my doctors will perform a bilateral mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery," she wrote in an ABC News blog post. "Only then will I know more about what that fight will fully entail, but I am mentally and physically as prepared as anyone can be in this situation."
While the entire ordeal is beyond tragic, Robach stands as the ultimate reminder of the importance of early detection — and the scary reality that breast cancer really can strike anyone. "I can only hope my story will do the same and inspire every woman who hears it to get a mammogram, to take a self exam," Robach wrote. "No excuses. It is the difference between life and death." (The Atlantic Wire)