Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Bridgette Hempstead was 35 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago. Back then;
her doctor said she was too young for a mammogram. (:08)
“I demanded a mammogram.”
That experience pushed Bridgette to become an advocate for African American women, who
are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age, and often, with more
aggressive tumors.
“ African American women are about 36-percent more likely to die from breast cancer than
white women.”
Pat Dawson is a breast surgeon at Swedish cancer institute. She
says the reasons for this health disparity are complex and more research is needed to
understand all the issues.
“Clearly there are reasons related to access, there are cultural beliefs related to women
going in for screening, there are issues around having health insurance or not having insurance.”
pink may be the color of all things breast cancer, but if you look at death rates by
race, that’s still very much black and white.
between 2001 and 2007, the five year relative survival rate for white women was 90-percent,
for black women, only 77-percent. (
“We want to stand up and say our lives are important as well.” (:04)
“ You need to celebrate your life, that I agree with that, but I think we have put
a pink bow on a pig, so to speak, because it is still very ugly”
Screening mammograms help save lives, so mobile units are getting out the message to black
women at church, but more needs to be done.
“We need to improve survival rates for all women with breast cancer, but we need to make
sure there aren’t disparities based on race or ethnicity.”