Eileen Esdaile was first diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 37 years old, after doing a self-exam at home.
“I just went into fight mode, I said I have two young children that I have to live for,” Esdaile said.
Esdaile was diagnosed a second time, at age 50.
“The second time I think it wore more on me mentally, because I was like 'ok, I have no history and I had it once and now I have it twice, where is it coming from, what is going on,'” Esdaile said.
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Now as a two-time cancer survivor, Esdaile has made it her life’s work to help other patients. She is a support group leader with Sisters’ Journey, a New Haven based non-profit organization that aims to educate and empower women to get early testing.
“If you are too young to get a mammogram, be sure to do your self breast exam and to be persistent with doctors,” Sisters’ Journey Chairwoman Dawn White-Bracey said.
According to a new report published by the American Cancer Society, breast cancer associated deaths have decreased by 44% since the late 1980s.
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“It is probably largely related to very significant improvement in treatments,” said Dr. Eric Winer, of the Yale Cancer Center.
However, breast cancer diagnoses are becoming more common among young women, with a 1.4% increase every year since 2021. Among Asian American and Pacific Islander women, there has been a 50% increase in diagnoses since 2000.
Doctors recommended women with average risk begin getting mammograms at age 40.
“The other recommendation is from age 20 to 30 you should sit down with your primary care physician, or your provider, and determine what your cancer risk is overall,” said Dr. Devika Jajoo, of The Center for Cancer Care.
Men are also encouraged to talk to their health care providers to better understand their health risk.
