I’ve Got 99 Problems But A Mammogram Aint One- Get Checked

LEAP 1 Essay- Rachael Cullen

Propaganda COM416- Professor RobbGrieco

February 15, 2023

The propaganda I created was to bring awareness to breast cancer and to promote early detection in younger women by requesting a mammogram. According to Breastcamcer.org breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, and 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer during her life. In the essay, I would like to provide the facts about breast cancer, and what to look for. I would like to discuss propaganda strategies I used to grab people’s attention to the importance of getting a mammogram for early detection as it will save your life, so listen up. Lastly, I would like to conclude my essay with the personal story of my best friend who got diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 30 years old. By the end of this breast cancer and mammogram awareness campaign, you will gain the knowledge and facts as to why it’s necessary to be proactive and request a mammogram today.

Although breast cancer mostly occurs among older women, in some cases it does affect women under the age of 40. According to the CDC, they have convened an Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women to increase knowledge of breast health and breast cancer among women, particularly among those under the age of 40. About 9% of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age. While breast cancer diagnosis and treatment are difficult for women of any age, young survivors may find it overwhelming. According to youngsurvival.org the director of health education at Susan G. Komen for the Cure (which is a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and funds for women with breast cancer) says the psychological consequence of a young woman facing a breast cancer diagnosis is very different from that of an older woman. She says women in their 20s don’t expect to face mortality and haven’t had as much experience in health care. I believe young women should be facing other decisions like finishing college, thinking about starting a family, etc. According to #titcheck.org, a self-examination is one way to understand your body and can help you catch something that may not be quite right. Some warning signs of breast cancer are a new lump in the breast or underarm (armpit), thickening or swelling of part of the breast, irritation or dimpling of the breast skin, nipple discharge, changes in the size or shape of the breast, and pain in any area of the breast. If one of these is something you have experienced call your doctor today and request a mammogram. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the better the chances for treatment and survival. Self-examination is a simple way to monitor changes in your body, but it doesn’t replace an annual wellness exam with a doctor or a mammogram. If you are not familiar, a mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast. Doctors use a mammogram to look for early signs of breast cancer. Regular mammograms are the best tests for doctors to find breast cancer early, sometimes up to three years before it can be felt. A lot of women don’t get mammograms for reasons like, their insurance won’t cover it, it will hurt, and they don’t have the time. According to the CDC, they offer free or low-cost mammograms, which I had added the link to my poster, so there is no excuse not to get one.

In the first section of our reading from Intersection of Entertainment, Information & Persuasions, its states “Propaganda is not merely a type of persuasion is used to inform, entertain and persuade. With this assignment, my goal was to inform and persuade. Breast cancer awareness is such a sensitive subject, I wanted to use the wit and humor technique of propaganda when creating my poster. When you view the poster I created you will notice one of the images is big breasts in the shape of a heart with the slogan” Feel your lumps save your bumps” which I thought was funny when I came across it and caught my attention. Since I am trying to persuade the younger population about breast cancer awareness, I used a funny slogan related to Instagram stating, “Just a reminder that mammogramming your boobs is more important than Istagramming them”. The message I wanted to send is a form of purposeful persuasion and it’s an attempt to influence one’s emotions, attitudes, and opinions. I wanted this poster to advocate for breast cancer awareness. My final technique is a powerful one and a story told by my dearest friend when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s a very emotional story that will grab the audience’s attention and tug on your heartstrings. I did come across a few challenges in creating the poster, as it seems more geared towards women and not including men. I struggled with content placement on the poster, as I did not want it to look too busy yet have enough catchy phrases to grab the audience’s attention. It was challenging to find the perfect content as there is so much out there, but I wanted to create something different than just the pink breast cancer ribbon. I tried my best to gear toward young women who could relate to the slogans I posted, which would grab their attention.

Here is my best friend Lindsey’s story of her journey through her breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 30: Two weeks before Christmas, 12/10/18 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the end of September, I finished nursing my baby. I noticed a lump and assumed it was a clogged milk duct since I recently stopped nursing Charlie when he turned one. I made my yearly appointment and I hoped it would go away by then. I went because a friend recently found out she had breast cancer at the same age as me (30). I knew it was nothing but figured I would mention this to my doctor. Thank God she sent me for further testing. We both assumed it was a clogged milk duct. She sent me for an ultrasound. After the ultrasound, they sent me straight for a mammogram. To my surprise, I had my first and last mammogram. I have no family history of breast cancer. I had a tumor that was 8cm large. The main tumor was Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. After finding this out I was told this was good because the cancer may be contained. Surgery may be enough to be cancer free! However, I was told there is still a possibility of invasive cancer due to the size. After my surgery on 2/1, I found out it was in fact invasive cancer and I am Hers2 Positive. We were crushed and knew I had a long way to go. I would now have invasive treatment due to my age. The works as I would call it! Bilateral Mastectomy, Chemo, Radiation, targeted therapy, and hormone therapy. I am sharing my story in hopes that I can help someone else. If you don’t have any symptoms or family history you typically do not get screened until 40. This is outrageous knowing what I know. I have met countless girls well under 40 with this horrible disease. Today, I am in remission and beyond blessed with a wonderful support team I had during my cancer journey. My parents, my sister, my in-laws, my family, my best friends, friends, coworkers, and medical staff at Women and Infants and South County Hospital where I spent a crazy amount of time. I have had the best team and they have become like family. If you work in oncology, I truly believe you have a heart of gold. People always ask me how I handle all these treatments with a 1 and 5-year-old. Actually, it’s easy, they are the ones that got me through this every day. Staying positive is my only option! I will make them proud and continue to push through it all for them! Screening needs to start earlier. If I had waited until 40 for a screening, things would be much different today. If you have a family history or feel something you are not comfortable with talk to your doctor to get a mammogram, ultrasound, or both. This could save your life or even prevent extensive treatment if detected early.

In conclusion, now that we know the facts about breast cancer and what signs to look for in early detection, the strategies I used created a persuasion propaganda poster, and lastly a testimonial from my best friend fighting the breast cancer fight. There should be no excuses for not asking for a mammogram at your next appointment. Information regarding breast cancer and resources for the public are readily available if you know where to look. Remember breast cancer awareness is not just a month.

Work Cited:

“Add A Titcheckto Your#Fitcheck.” Titcheck, https://titcheck.org/.

“Bring Your Brave Campaign.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Sept. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/young_women/bringyourbrave/.

Community Discussion Forums, https://www.breastcancer.org/faq/discussion-forum.

Creative, Efelle. “Home.” Young Adults Facing Breast Cancer Together | Young Survival Coalition, https://www.youngsurvival.org/.