ST. LOUIS — October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and former Today Show co-anchor Katie Couric recently shared her own diagnosis.
Couric posted on social media she was six months late for her routine mammogram. She said she finished radiation and is now "feeling fine."
According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. Stage 2 breast cancer survivor and St. Louis resident Colleen McEvoy is one of those eight.
"In July of 2020, I was doing a self-breast exam and I felt a mass," McEvoy said. "I think for me this all really highlights the need for self-breast exams and early screening. I was only 38."
Washington University's Siteman Cancer Center Medical Oncologist Lindsay Peterson said the earlier the screening, the better.
"Most women should start getting a screening mammogram at age 40, and continue doing that annually," Peterson said.
But even still, life can happen. McEvoy had no family history and had gotten a mammogram eight months prior for a cyst. At that time, her results were negative.
"Women who have very dense breasts, their mammograms can look like a sheet of white, and it's harder to determine if there's a tumor around there," Peterson said.
On top of regular screenings, Peterson said it's important to look at your day-to-day life, such as what you're eating and how much you're exercising to mitigate your cancer risk.
After intense chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, reconstruction and radiation, McEvoy is now cancer free.
And, through it all, she's holding onto what matters to her most to give her the strength to share her message and help others. She's soaking up time with her husband, her two sons, and other family and friends. She's also returned back to work full time.
She, like Couric, is encouraging other women to get regular screenings and to stay on top of their mammograms.
"Had it progressed more, I don't know where I'd be," she said.