Jazmine's Big Win
- At the BET awards last night, Jazmine Sullivan took home the award for Album of the Year for Heaux Tales, but said her biggest prize was that her mother was on stage with her.
- Sullivan’s mom, Pam Sullivan, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and underwent chemotherapy.
- Women aged 45 to 54 should have mammograms annually.
Sullivan said to the crowd at the BET Awards as she accepted her win, “Two years ago we would've never expected to be here. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. We didn't see any of this happening but God has been so faithful to us. My mom is now in remission. This is my prize, this is my gift it means more to me than anything that she's here with me…”
Read MorePam Sullivan’s Breast Cancer Battle
Jazmine’s mother Pam was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2019, the singer shared on Instagram. Jazmine writes: “Late October 2019 our world was flipped upside down when U were diagnosed w IBC (inflammatory breast cancer). our days were no longer filled w convos of u telling me to hurry up and finish my project, but of chemo treatments and hospital visits….”
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Jazmine continues to say: “…Shit got real, Fast. But if being your daughter has taught me one thing it is how to work w something ugly, painful even, and make it a work of art.”
Related: Getting to Know Your Breasts with Self-Exams
Pam Sullivan underwent chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer. And she shared some happy news in March 2020, saying, “I never expected to hear my doctor say ‘you’re done with chemo’ today. I believed it would happen earlier than expected cause I asked God to do that for me, but after so much discouragement from my doctor, not this soon…”
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Her daughter Jazmine shared the good news on Twitter, too, when in January 2021 she concluded chemo again. Jazmine writes, “Today is my moms final day of chemo! This is a huge milestone! Of all the blessings that are pouring in rt now… that is the only thing that matters to me!! I'm in tears and in awe of God's grace n mercy! Anyone going thru breast cancer please know I'm praying for u!”
Today is my moms final day of chemo! This is a huge milestone! Of all the blessings that are pouring in rt now… that is the only thing that matters to me!! I’m in tears and in awe of God’s grace n mercy! Anyone going thru breast cancer please know I’m praying for u!❤️❤️
— Jazmine Sullivan (@jsullivanmusic) January 10, 2021
Chemo is one of many treatment options for breast cancer. Other treatment paths may include radiation, surgery (like a mastectomy), immunotherapy or combination drug therapy.
When Should You Consider a Mastectomy?
Screening for Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is typically detected via a mammogram, the screening method for breast cancer, which looks for lumps in the breast tissue and early signs of breast cancer. Women aged 45 to 54 should have mammograms annually. Dr. Connie Lehman, the chief of the Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, says in an earlier interview, "If you haven't gone through menopause yet, I think it's very important that you have a mammogram every year."
Related: When You're Called Back After a Mammogram: Breaking Down the Numbers
"We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving," says Dr. Lehman. "After menopause, it may be perfectly acceptable to reduce that frequency to every two years. But what I'm most concerned about is the women who haven't been in for a mammogram for two, three, or four years, those women that have never had a mammogram. We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives."
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
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