13 Friends for Life has been helping women around West Michigan protect themselves from breast cancer for 25 years now.
What is Friends for Life?
We encourage women to have a Friend for Life. She can be your mother, daughter, sister or a friend. On the 13th of each month, do a breast self-exam and then call your Friend for Life, reminding her to do the same. The best protection is early detection when it comes to breast cancer.
There are women around West Michigan who credit Friends for Life with saving their lives. Like Valerie O’Brien. She saw one of the Friends for Life reminders, did a self-exam, and found a lump.
"On the 13th of the month you have to do it. You have to. It can save your life. It saved mine,” Val said. “It’s given me 22 more years so far. I'm so lucky. Without Friends for Life I wouldn't be here to enjoy that."
So it’s simple really. Here are three things you can easily do to maintain your own breast health:
- Choose your Friend for Life and do those self-exams.
- Share your personal and family history with your doctor and ask how often you should have professional check-ups.
- Have regular mammograms. These are so important because 70% of women who develop breast cancer don't have any of the risk factors.
Watch for our reminders and the special Friends for Life stories that run on the 13th of the month. And don’t forget to do those self-exams!