COLORADO SPRINGS — Breast cancer is blamed for more than 42,000 deaths a year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. As Breast Cancer Awareness Month gets underway, health care providers are delivering the message: too many people wait too long to get a mammogram.
Julie Buffenmeyer is a radiology tech who performs mammograms for others — her job is also personal.
"I myself got early detection. I had ductal carcinoma. They were able to go in and remove it and then because of my family history, I decided to go ahead and do a bilateral mastectomy," Buffenmeyer said.
She felt an unusual dent in her breast tissue and, because of her family's breast cancer history, got checked early. Standing in front of a mammogram machine, she described the equipment simply.
"The equipment that is behind me is an absolute lifesaver," Buffenmeyer said.
Now she regularly encounters women who have delayed their screenings.
"It is very common. Or you have somebody that comes in, and will come in and they haven't ever had one, and they're in their 70s," Buffenmeyer said.
Patient Amberly Brown's most recent appointment was multiple years overdue. What started as "next week" grew to a month, then a year.
"I'm very much the, you know, typical busy person. We all have a lot to do," Brown said.
She knows someone who is fighting for her life because of breast cancer, and that relationship has become a source of motivation.
"She reminds me all the time that we have to show up for ourselves, and I'm grateful for that reminder," Brown said.
Cynthia Smith with Colorado Springs Imaging said timing is everything when it comes to outcomes.
"The earlier you catch it, the better prognosis you may have," Smith said.
Colorado Springs Imaging is offering a $100 screening this month for people without insurance. Appointments are designed to take less than 30 minutes and are easy to schedule.
"Patients typically call us to get scheduled and we try to get them scheduled the same day, next day," Smith said.
For Buffenmeyer, surviving breast cancer has become a personal mission.
"I don't want to be a statistic. I want to be the one that steps up and says, hey, did you get checked? I got checked," Buffenmeyer said.
Colorado Springs Imaging has multiple incentives through the month of October to encourage mammograms.
People without health insurance can also get a free or low-cost mammogram screening at more than 100 clinics across Colorado through the Women's Wellness Connection program, offered through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. To learn more about eligibility and to find a clinic near you, click here. When you call the clinic, be sure to let them know you would like to participate in the Women's Wellness Connection program.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.___
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