BLAKELY, Ga. - April, 2008 - It has been nearly 34 years since Lee Bush heard her doctor speak the word 'cancer' following a routine physical exam, but she remembers the late fall day in 1974 like it was yesterday.

"I was sitting there and all I could think about was that I wouldn't be able to raise my daughter," the Early County native recalls of the day her doctor at the Grady Clinic in Atlanta told her that her Papanicolaou (Pap) test revealed she had cervical cancer. Only 23 years old, Bush and her husband were the proud parents of an 11-month-old daughter, Rhonda.

"That's what scared me the most," she admits. "Before I even thought about myself, I worried about not being there for my baby."

But when her doctor began to explain that there was something that could be done, Bush remembers giving him her undivided attention. "When I heard him say that it was curable, I listened. I felt like I might have a chance."

Bush and her doctors decided that a partial hysterectomy would be the best course of treatment for the young mother. In January of 1975, she underwent surgery. It was during her recovery that she decided she would make it a personal goal to help spread the word about early cancer detection.

"I had a second chance," she says. "I needed to do something with it. If that was just telling women they need to take care of themselves, then I would do it. Any chance I got."

Cervical cancer, as defined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is cancer that forms in tissues of the cervix, the lower, narrow portion of the uterus, where the baby grows when a woman is pregnant. Usually a slow-growing cancer, cervical cancer may not have any symptoms at all in its early stages. But the cancer can be found with regular Pap tests during which a physician takes cells from the cervix and looks at them under a microscope.

The Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition is partnering with local healthcare providers and community leaders to get the word out that not only younger women develop cervical cancer; women over 40 are at increased risk for dying from the disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, US women between the ages of 45 and 64 have the highest death rates from cervical cancer.

Denise Ballard, director of the Cancer Coalition's Disparities Center, said there are many reasons why women over 40 discontinue routine cervical cancer screening. "Many women are no longer in a relationship or are no longer sexually active so they don't believe they need Pap tests any more," Ballard explained. She added that cost is also a primary factor.

"Women who are uninsured are among those who avoid having Pap tests because they can't afford it. As a result, they are more likely to die from the disease due to late diagnosis and treatment. These deaths are tragic and preventable, and that's why we are focusing on women in this age group. Every woman can get a Pap test, regardless of her ability to pay," she added.

Ballard is referring to the community-based cervical cancer education initiative targeting medically-underserved women ages 40 to 64. In cooperation with the Spring Creek Health Cooperative, the Early County Health Department, and Primary Care of Southwest Georgia, the Cancer Coalition's goal is to educate women and increase cervical cancer screening among women 40 and older.

Early County Public Health Director Alida Ward works daily to promote the Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program, known as BreasTEST & MORE, funded by the State of Georgia and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program provides low cost or no cost mammograms and Pap tests for income eligible uninsured or underinsured women over the age of 40.

"Early detection is a woman's best protection against cervical cancer," says Ward, who is also a registered nurse and has been the director of the Early County Health Department since December 2001.

"Cervical cancer caught in the early stages is 90 percent curable, and often a Pap test can find a problem before cancer ever develops. So the test not only allows us to diagnose cancer early, when it is most curable, but it is also effective in helping doctors prevent cancer in women whose Pap tests show abnormal changes," Ward explained.

As convincing as those facts might be, Ward still hears excuses from women, especially women over 40, who are not getting their Pap tests on a routine basis. "Some have the misconception that if they are no longer having children, they no longer need to be tested routinely, but that's false" Ward explained

Ward said another reason women don't seek cancer screening is simply because their lives are just too hectic.

"Women are the primary caregivers and many times the primary breadwinners in the household," she has observed. "They intend to get the cancer screening, however their personal needs get put on the back burner while they meet the demands of family or work," Ward said.

"And there are always those who hold on to the 'I don't want to know if anything is wrong' mindset, but having Pap tests on a regular basis allows us to know early enough to take care of any problem," Ward adds.

The Coalition, which serves 33 counties in southwest Georgia, is working with funding received from the Georgia Department of Human Resources to promote early detection and reduce cervical cancer-related disparities suffered by low-income and uninsured women.

Ballard said that partnerships between community organizations, healthcare providers, and concerned citizens like Lee Bush will help win the battle against cancer in Southwest Georgia.

Thirty four years after her cervical cancer diagnosis, Bush doesn't mind being reminded of the ordeal that made her realize just how precious life is, she says. She takes every opportunity to remind family and friends of the importance of early cancer detection.

"I tell them to go get checked out. Take care of themselves... please," says the now grandmother of three.

When she moved back to Blakely, Bush decided to take her "second chance" even further and re-enrolled in school. At the age of 53, she received her GED and last November, at 55, she entered Bainbridge College and is studying Early Childhood Education.

"I decided it's never too late. Never," says the aspiring elementary school teacher." That's true in almost everything. Take what you're given and do something with it.

"Look at me... I'm living proof."

For more information about cervical cancer, talk to your doctor or visit www.cancer.gov. To find out if you are eligible for the BreasTEST & MORE program, call your county health department.

Additional information about the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition and their efforts to reduce cancer rates in our region can be found at www.swgacancer.org.

Contact:
Mandy Flynn, Communications Coordinator
Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition
229-312-1700
Email Mandy Flynn