Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I was proud of you yesterday, but there was a
lot of love for your were you opening up.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Yesterday made my embarrassing admission confession to the fact that
I've never had a mammogram, even though I am at
an age where I should have probably had several by
this stage, And a lot of people joined in with
us on the text and said me neither.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
So a few of us have made appointments.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I have made my appointment for this Thursday afternoon, I
will be going for my first mammogram. And today we've
got Leah Marinovic, who is a breastcre nurse at Breast
Cancer Care WA joining us to talk about the importance
of this. Thank you so much for coming in, Leah,
no worries, Thanks for having me now. I said that
I probably should have had a few by now. What
(00:45):
is the age that's recommended for your first mammogram?
Speaker 4 (00:47):
So the age you get called from is actually the
age of fifty, but a lot of people don't know
you can actually.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Opt in from forty.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Yeah, okay, so you just have to call up Breast
Screen and opt for that. But yeah, we really encourage
anyone from the age of forty to go and have.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Them really, and then how often should this be?
Speaker 4 (01:08):
So you should have a mammogram every two years?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Yes, right, Yeah I've missed a few.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah, well yeah, but the things you're well and truly
aware of that Nowdly, this can affect families in a
big way. My mother got breast cancer and she was
mid seventies, but she had not had enough mamogram. She
had had some and it ended up taking a like
five years later she was a trooper. But this really
affects families as well as the person as well. Evident
it's such a such a deep thing of emotional just
(01:38):
talking about it now.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Yeah, absolutely, we know it affects everyone. We do. We
offer lots of support to obviously women going through it,
but men can get it too. Yeah, and yeah we
do offer support to families, partners. It certainly doesn't just
affect the person who gets it.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
We did speak to someone yesterday whose dad had just
recently had a miss Yes. Yeah, we hear the words
importance of early detection so often, but just how true
is that?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
I mean, it's the difference between life and death. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Absolutely, if we can catch it early, the survival rates
of breast cancer are amazing they're ninety two percent. So
you know, if you have a mammogram, it can be
caught early. Mammograms can detect cancers that can't be felt.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yea.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
So it means we can catch them nice and early,
get them sorted and people can carry on living lives
and not having to worry about this coming back.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, because you know a lot of people do go
in for a scam because they felt a lump. I mean,
you know we're supposed to do the home testing is
much self ustimulation, but how often is there no detectable
lump that you know it's just detected from going in
for a scam?
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Well?
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Absolutely, we're picking up breast cancers earlier and earlier now,
so we know the incidence rates are increasing, and that's
because screening is so good. We've got more awareness around us.
We also have an aging population, so we are picking
things up early. But it means that we can sort
them out easier before they do get to a point
(03:18):
where a lot more treatment is involved and outcomes are
very different.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Now discussions yesday, we use the word procrastination quite a lot.
But why is it that people put it off? Is
it fear of the actual getting a mamogram. Is that
the main thing?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
I think?
Speaker 2 (03:31):
So?
Speaker 4 (03:32):
I think people are scared and scared of the unknown.
But you know, a mamogram, actually it isn't that scary,
And once you go and have one, you'll realize that
there's often a breast care nurse there to support you,
to give you advice, and to make the experience quite
tolerable and easy.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
For me, I think it was the fear of the unknown.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
I stupidly kind of think that if I don't know something,
that it's not happening. So oh, you know, I mean,
I like to consider im a reasonably intelligent person. That's
dumb as a bucket of rocks, isn't it. But I'm
under no illusion that the screen at the mammogram itself,
which I booked in for a Thursday, will be a
little uncomfortable, but.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
It's not going to hurt or anything.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Is that it be a bit sort of awkward, Yeah,
but that's where the staff really shine. They will make
you feel so comfortable. Yeah, They'll really talk you through it,
make sure you're prepared, know what to expect, and it
will be over in five minutes.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Brist Cancer Care of rock Stars. When it comes to
raising money.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
It's going to talk about the front raise absolute.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Rock stars, and we've been part of that over the years.
But what about funding from state or federal government? Is
the one cent? Is it anything at all?
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Nothing?
Speaker 4 (04:48):
No, we get nothing.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Because people were saying it yesterday in the text, I'm
going a coup. Believe it's not anything at all.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
It's not rageous.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
We have an amazing fundraising team and the w A
community just incredibly generous and that's what keeps us going.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
That's disgusting.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
I mean, when you consider how many boobs are out
there because it's too for everyone of you know, that
is that is really quite terrible.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah. Is there anything we can do about that?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
We're talking about it helps talk.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
About it, kick up a bit of a fuss, yeah yeah,
speak to your local members, yeah yeah yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
And you know, if you know of anyone who you
know is facing the disease, encourage them to get in
touch and they'll find out about all the services we
can offer.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
There's so much we can do. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Well, we thank you for your service, that's that's for sure.
And thank you so much for coming in and continuing
to alleviate my fears this morning, and and mine, and
and the rest of us who are listening to this
and thinking, yep, got a book in Thank you so much,
No worry, do.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
You need a lyft on Thursday? By the way, Okay,
don't think about coming and pick up people.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
You want to make sure I go. Absolutely, I've made
the promise.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Now, yeah, down there, you've actually said.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
May'll be too much explaining to do.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
You don't have to explain you don't want to do that.
I will look at you in a different way.