I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (Breast Cancer) on May 19, 2014 at age 42.

It all started with a bad ear infection the beginning of April. I took 2 rounds of antibiotics and the pain only got worse. Finally, I was referred to an ENT Specialist. When my referral nurse went to make the appointment, she saw an order for a mammogram which had been sitting there since October 2013. She not only scheduled my ENT appointment, but she scheduled my mammogram for the following week. If I wouldn’t have had an ear infection, then I probably still wouldn’t have gotten my mammogram. I was putting it off because I didn’t have “time.”

I didn’t realize the importance of a mammogram because I thought I would never get breast cancer because I’ve been healthy my entire life.

After my diagnosis, I then got tested to see if I’m a carrier of the BRCA gene. I found out a month later that I was positive for BRCA1 mutation. I then decided to get a double mastectomy, oophorectomy, DIEP flap procedure reconstruction all the same day, which was August 28, 2014.

I then had chemo treatments from 10/3/2014 through 1/15/2015. The first treatment was extremely difficult; however the remaining treatment went much easier as my body adjusted to the chemo.

Even though this journey has been very difficult, it’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me because it changed my entire outlook on life. I found out just how strong I was and was able to beat cancer.

Ladies, I can’t stress enough the importance of getting your mammograms at age 40. If you notice that it runs in your family, talk to your doctor about getting your mammogram much sooner. It could save your life!

HealthNet’s Mammography Fund provides coverage for Indianapolis women in need of mammograms. Donate online today at www.indyhealthnet.org/Donate.

What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC)?

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare, but extremely aggressive type of breast cancer that is normally found without a lump, making it hard for providers to diagnose. Inflammatory breast cancer can spread quickly and most patients are diagnosed in stages III or IV.

If there isn’t a lump, what symptoms can be used to diagnose IBC?

Because there aren’t many symptoms of IBC, it makes it even harder for providers to diagnose it. The most common symptoms of IBC include redness and swelling on the breast, as well as tenderness. You may also feel a burning sensation and notice a rapid increase in breast size. IBC can be diagnosed through biopsy and tissue samples, but many women who are diagnosed are in stage III or IV by the time it is found.

Is IBC treatable?

Yes! An IBC diagnoses, although it can be lethal, is not a death sentence. IBC can be treated with therapy, radiation, chemotherapy, surgery and other options.

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month please spread the word about inflammatory breast cancer.  For more information about inflammatory breast cancer, visit www. Ibcresearch.org. To make an appointment for a mammogram, or for more information please call 317-957-2000 or visit www.indyhealthnet.org.

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we decided to debunk the most common myths about mammograms.

1. Mammograms are only necessary once you turn 40.
   False! If your family has a history of breast cancer, talk to your doctor. Your doctor might recommend that you have a mammogram done earlier than you expected.
2. I check myself regularly and have never found a lump. I don’t need a mammogram.
   Just because you don’t feel anything, doesn’t mean that nothing is there. While it is common that a woman might find a lump if she has breast cancer, this isn’t always the case. You can’t be sure unless you get checked.
3. If a mammogram comes out abnormal, it’s a death sentence.
   We can’t say disagree enough! Early detection saves lives and the sooner you find out, the more you can do to fight!
4. Mammograms are painful.
   Although there is some discomfort associated with mammograms, the exam doesn’t take very long and the discomfort is gone after the exam is finished. It’s a small price to pay to know your status.

At HealthNet, providing life-saving mammogram screenings is vital to ensuring our patients are getting the best care possible – regardless of their ability to pay.

To find a HealthNet location near you, click here. If you’d like to schedule a mammogram, or learn more, please call us at 317-957-2000 or visit us online at www.indyhealthnet.org.

Just $25 provides coverage for an Indianapolis woman in need of a mammogram. Click here to help.

As 2011 draws to a close, we wanted to share a letter from HealthNet President/CEO Booker Thomas that appeared in yesterday’s e-newsletter:

Dear Friends of HealthNet,

Every year, hundreds of individuals make donations that help HealthNet fulfill its mission of caring for the community. We hope you will join them and make a gift to HealthNet this holiday season.

Consider that:

• $50 helps School-based Services provide students with a personal care hygiene kit filled with items they may not have at home.
• $100 provides 2 weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy for a patient without insurance through Health Promotions.
• $200 helps a family struggling with a rent or mortgage payment through Social Services.
• $200 provides breast health education and outreach to inner-city neighborhoods in Indianapolis through Mammogram Assistance.
• $500 helps provide services through the Healthy Families Programthat teach and encourage the skills that make a family work. In an area where poverty heightens the normal stresses of parenting and making ends meet, families need a variety of support just to keep it together.
• $1000 provides tuition for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and certification for someone in the Homeless Initiative Program.

Any gift, large or small, will make a difference in our ability to put our patients’ needs first as we provide the very highest standard of care in a community-based environment. 
Please click here to make a donation online.

 I also invite you to enjoy the online edition of HealthNet’s 2010-2011 Annual Report. In this easy-to-read format, you can learn more about the expansion, innovation and growth HealthNet has experienced in the past year, as well as read some amazing stories from our patients and clients.

 On behalf of the entire HealthNet family, I thank you in advance and wish you the very best for a happy, healthy 2012!

Booker Thomas, MHA

President/CEO

HealthNet, Inc.

_______________________________________________

Sign up to stay up-to-date on HealthNet happenings in 2012!

Now, we want to hear from you, learn about you, and find out more about how we can work together to serve our clients to the best of our ability.

Here are three steps that will help us to do just that:

1.  #GiveACareAbout … yourself!

   We give a care about what you do, where you are located in the great city of Indianapolis, and how you are involved with community happenings and making Indy a better place to live.  You can quickly introduce yourself now by commenting below, or you can wait until later and tweet us, or start following us on Facebook and introduce yourself there.  Whatever way you choose, we want to know more about you and what YOU #giveacareabout.

2. #GiveACareAbout. … those who need it most!

   In our blog series earlier this month, we introduced you to our several of our outreach programs. Our Homeless Initiative Program, Better Indy Babies & Healthy Families program, School-Based Services, and our Health Promotions team all serve those who are most in need in the Indianapolis community.  We will often bring you opportunities to give a care about the program or programs you are interested in.

3. #GiveACareAbout … telling others how they can help!

   Share your #giveacareabout stories with your friends on Facebook!  When you tweet us what you #giveacareabout, you will get retweeted to our network.  Or, if you don’t want to be as vocal about it, then simply sign-up for our monthly e-newsletter and forward it to your friends.  Later this month, we will have a unique way to share what you #giveacareabout, so keep your eyes peeled!

It is hard to believe that we are halfway through 2011, but this second half is looking to be an exciting one!

Kay Johnson, HealthNet staff member, shares her personal story on the importance of reminding the ones you love to take care of themselves.  Whether it is a gentle push or a ‘GET YOUR BUTT TO THE DOCTOR!’, Kay stresses the urgency to love the ones nearest to you.

Kay, as a child, with her mother!

I’ve been mothered by many amazing women in my lifetime, and I’m grateful to all of them. There were Betty and Liz, second moms who rounded out my own mom’s mothering. Aunt Bonnie, who checked on me regularly during my growing up years to make sure I was holding steady. Ruthie, a neighbor who grew to be one of my most trusted confidants. And Emily, who always knew when to give me a good swift kick as only a best friend can!

Most importantly, there was my own mother, who taught me moxie, grace and conviction. And especially my grandma, who surely earned sainthood status for raising me while in her 60s and 70s after my mom died of breast cancer at age 36.

Although I’m thankful for all the mothering I’ve had, there’s almost nothing I would like more than to go back in time and urge my mom to get that breast check-up earlier than she did. If you still have that opportunity with your mom – take it! Mother’s Day is a great time to gently nag HER for a change (with love, of course!) and encourage her to take care of herself.

I’ve added three names to my list of amazing women that I’m celebrating this Mother’s Day. Strong women I’ve met at HealthNet who are doing just that – mothering other women in how to take care of themselves. There’s Irene, a woman of faith who courageously battled breast cancer and now shares her story so that her daughters, and others, can learn from her experience. There’s Paula, a nurse and breast cancer survivor who teaches low-income moms how to be their own best health care advocate. And Maggie, a young woman who honors the grandmother she never knew by helping women in need get access to life-saving mammograms.

There’s almost nothing I would like more than to go back in time and urge my mom to get that breast check-up earlier than she did! – Kay speaking about losing her mother as a child.

In honor and in memory of mothers everywhere, let’s share the love we feel for our own moms – and other “moms” in our lives – by spreading the word and raising funds to support women in Indy who need better access to women’s health care. I encourage you to read more about the need and then to do something about it!

***
Make a $25 donation today that will help a woman in need gain access to a mammogram, visit our website and refer someone who needs direction to begin regular screenings, or simply spread the word on the importance of regular check-ups and mammograms.  Together, we can break down ALL barriers keeping women from staying healthy.

Tell us something special about one of the “moms” in your life! Visit our Facebook page and share your story!

Getting your annual exam is critical, and we want Indianapolis to know that we give a care about women’s health!

In a light-hearted approach to a serious issue, HealthNet’s Whatever you call ‘em, check ‘em breast cancer awareness campaign  encourages women to get their annual breast exam. Seriously, there’s nothing more important taking care of your girls!

What do YOU call ‘em?

If you’re one of our Facebook fans, check out our fun list of names on our Facebook page. Feel free to submit your own entry.

The steps are easy, and in joining this fun conversation, you are showing your community that you give a care!

1. Go to our Facebook page
2. Submit or vote for your favorite name.
3. Encourage your friends to vote for your entry or include their own!
4. Tweet it, blog it, email it, and share it!

Women who are uninsured are less likely to be screened for breast cancer, increasing their risks of dying from this preventable disease.  As a community, we give a care about women’s health and the importance of annual screening mammograms. Helps us spread the word! Together we can build a healthier Indianapolis community!

HAVE FUN WITH US!!

WHATEVER YOU CALL ‘EM, LET US KNOW!

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK ‘EM!

AND HELP US BREAK DOWN THE BARRIERS FOR WOMEN WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE MEANS TO GET REGULARLY SCREENED!

Of course, mom will be thrilled and admire the beauty and scent of the flowers for a few days but then what? This year, why not consider giving her a gift that will not wilt, not lose its color and not need to be thrown away in a week. This year, why not consider giving her a gift of life – for someone else. For the cost of a bouquet of flowers, you could make a $25 contribution to HealthNet’s Mammography Program to assist uninsured women living in poverty receive access to life-saving preventative screenings.

When it comes to women’s health, a gift of $25 helps ensure that a woman who can’t afford a mammogram will get one. It helps create a community of support and a place to turn for questions when an inner-city woman finds out she has breast cancer. A gift of $25 gives us the ability to provide tools that enable girls and women to become better health advocates. This gift changes everything.

Consider making a gift to HealthNet in honor or in memory of all the moms in your life. We all know the value of access to health care services, and I know that many of you care deeply about women’s health issues. So this Mother’s Day, when you’re contemplating which bouquet of flowers to buy, consider honoring your mom with a gift to HealthNet.

Click to make your $25 donation online or send a check by mail to HealthNet.  With each donation, we’re on our way to changing Indy. Let’s make our city a healthier place for moms everywhere!

Other suggestions on how to make a difference?  Have a fun Mother’s Day story?  Comment below.  Keep the conversation going!!

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Want to keep up-to-date with HealthNet’s efforts to improve access to health care in Indy? Friend, follow and find out more!

On May 8, nearly 140 million Mother’s Day cards will be exchanged in the United States. Most of these cards cost between $4 and $5!

Now imagine what would happen if you donate that five dollars to your favorite Indy non-profit in honor of Mom. We could CHANGE our city for the better!

But wait…you may be wondering how five dollars can change anything. When it comes to women’s health, five dollars helps ensure that a woman who can’t afford a mammogram will get one. Five dollars helps create a community of support and a place to turn for questions when an inner-city woman finds out she has breast cancer. Five dollars gives us the ability to provide tools that enable girls and women to become better health advocates. Five dollars changes everything.

Consider making a gift to HealthNet in honor or in memory of all the moms in your life. And if you’re thinking a $5 donation doesn’t make a difference, think again. If every one of our blog readers, e-newsletter subscribers, Twitter followers and Facebook supporters made a $5 donation in honor of their mom or loved one this Mother’s Day, we’d raise more than $20,000 for early breast cancer detection and awareness for women in need. That’s right — $20,000.

We all know the value of access to health care services, and I know that many of you care deeply about women’s health issues. So this Mother’s Day, when you’re contemplating which card to buy, honor your mom with a gift to HealthNet.

With every $5 donation, we’re on our way to changing Indy. Let’s make our city a healthier place for moms everywhere!

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Want to keep up-to-date with HealthNet’s efforts to improve access to health care in Indy? Friend, follow and find out more!

THREE pretty big obstacles:

1. Deciding to prepare yourself for cancer. – just in case.
2. Trying to afford insurance – just in case.
3. Finding the income to pursuit services to prepare yourself – just in case.

Uninsured women often face these three obstacles, and many times do not know where to turn.

Uninsured women [are] more likely than their insured counterparts to require a longer, more extensive chemotherapy regimen (find out more statistics from The Commonwealth Fund).

There are several organizations in the Indianapolis area that provide mammogram screenings to those without health insurance and living below the federal poverty. HealthNet is one of those organizations.

Last year, HealthNet provided mammogram screenings to uninsured women, as well as breast health education and outreach services with the hopes of overcoming the cultural, educational, social and financial barriers that prevent women from getting screened.

This education and outreach is vital because research shows that women without health insurance are less likely to get a mammogram screening. A report done in New York showed that uninsured women lag behind the insured when it comes to getting screened for breast cancer. City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn, believes it is, “because uninsured women do not know enough about the resources that are out there for them.”

The American Cancer Society has put together an Indiana Mammography Facility Guide on their website that is a resource listing of facilities throughout the state offering screening services. In addition, a contact number is provided for those on Medicare and the uninsured that assists them with finding a designated site that will provide mammogram screenings if they can not afford this service.

Partnerships through St. Vincent’s Mobile Mammography Unit, Little Red Door Cancer Agency and HealthNet’s Health Centers exist to provide free mammograms to qualifying low-income or uninsured women in Indianapolis.  Together we are taking the steps needed to offer preventative and screening services to women in Indianapolis – just in case.

Uninsured women are less likely to be screened for breast cancer, causing their risk of dying form the disease to increase by 20 percent! Together we can give them a chance to fight breast cancer. Together we can close that gap.