CLEVELAND — Getting a mammogram early was life-saving for Barb Diver; at the time, she was 34.
"If I had found my cancer six months later, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you; if I found it at age 34 and a half, I would be terminally ill," said Diver.
The survivor said her mother had breast cancer, so she was advised to get screened earlier than the standard age of 50.
"My cancer was found at a very early stage which is very fortunate because it was a very aggressive carcinoma that hadn't reached into my ducts yet, and they were able to get all of it. I was considered cured at that time," she said.
Now the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is recommending all women at average risk of breast cancer start regular screenings at age 40. Diver said the recommendation comes as a relief.
"It makes me very happy; I volunteer for the American Cancer Society trying to get more women to get early mammograms for years now because I know how important they are," said Diver.
Previously the recommended age was 50, but MetroHealth officials told News 5 that 25% of its breast cancer patients are diagnosed at age 49 and younger and that black women especially are at a higher risk of more aggressive cancer cases at a younger age.
"The whole goal of screening mammography is to detect breast cancer early before a woman can feel it," said Dr. Holly Marshall with University Hospitals. "If we screen every year, we have a better chance of detecting the breast cancer early."
Diver, now a survivor because she caught her cancer early, is working to spread the message because she said she knows too many people who didn't make it.
"I have two fellow volunteers, one who lost her fight at age 34 to breast cancer and another one who is living with cancer now with three young girls, and to see them go through what they are, I know how blessed I was," said Diver.
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
