BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN
Janet Gasparini could have eaten a slice of birthday cake and opened presents to celebrate her 50th birthday yesterday (April 12), but instead she used the occasion to help battle breast cancer.
The Ward 11 city councillor has launched a campaign to encourage women over the age of 50 to have breast examinations.
Gasparini held a breast screening “party” at the Ontario Breast Screening Program office on Walford Rd.
“I approached the Ontario Breast Screening Program last fall as I was contemplating my 50th birthday. At the age of 50, women can become clients of the program, and they don’t need a referral from their doctors,” said Gasparini.
“For women between the ages of 50 and 70, that’s when eight out of 10 breast cancers occur. Breast screening is important because the early detection of breast cancer saves lives.”
Breast screening includes a breast X-ray (mammogram) and a physical exam of your breasts by a trained health-care provider, such as your doctor or an OBSP Nurse Examiner.
There’s lots of emphasis on raising money for breast cancer research, which is important, but promoting breast screening is just as important, said Gasparini.
Currently about 51 percent of women between the ages of 50 and 70 go for screening; the councillor wants to see that increase to 70 percent by 2010.
Gasparini has been screened for breast cancer since she was 40 because she’s the daughter of a breast cancer survivor.
To promote breast screening, Gasparini will appear on a postcard with her mother, sister, four daughters and one niece. For more information about the campaign or the Ontario Breast Screening Program, phone 675-2283.
