"I talk about my story: What it was like for me, what happened, what I thought, what I felt," she says. "More than anything, I want women to know not to be ashamed. I had a great deal of shame that I lost a part of my breast, because I worried about what people would think. And finally I realized, 'I don't care!' There was a lot of freedom in that for me."
"Now, I encourage women to get mammograms regularly, do their check-ups, do their self-exams, and talk to the women in your life."
With roughly 175,000 new cases expected in this year in the U.S. alone, one in eight women will likely face breast cancer before age 90. However, there may be hope on the horizon. The number of deaths caused by breast cancer is on the decline, and America's pharmaceutical research companies currently have 90 new medicines in development to treat breast cancer.
Some progress has already been made. Speaking on this month's episode, Boehringer Ingelheim scientist Dr. Charles Schloss says, "By targeting growth factors - which speed the growth of breast cancer tumors - with new chemical compounds, researchers have been able to develop drugs that make a difference in the lives of cancer patients."
Surgical oncologist Dr. Shawna Willey stresses the importance of early detection, which helped Meredith Baxter's battle: "If you can detect breast cancer when it's only a few cells that haven't invaded into the surrounding tissue, you have a much better chance of curing the patient."
Upcoming episodes of Sharing Miracles will feature Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl-wining coach Mike Ditka, who battles heart disease; Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique
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