Tom Brady's Family Cancer Battle
- Tom Brady, 42, guided his team to a victory last night against the Saints and sent love to his mom, Galynn Patricia Brady, a breast cancer survivor, following the win.
- Mrs. Brady was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016; she had multiple lumpectomies and five months of chemotherapy as treatment
- Mammogram screenings are used to detect lumps in the breast and early signs of breast cancer; the frequency with which you need to get them depends on age.
Read MoreView this post on InstagramBrady’s mom, Galynn Patricia Brady, battled breast cancer in 2016, and despite going through treatment at the time, she was able to be present for her son’s 2017 Super Bowl win. "I'm so glad that I decided I would go and just put cancer aside for that weekend,” Mrs. Brady told The Washington Post of her decision to attend the big game during which the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons. QB Brady dedicated the game to his mom before he played.
Galynn’s Breast Cancer Battle
Brady was diagnosed with breast cancer in summer of 2016. It was reported to be a "fast-growing, aggressive" form of breast cancer, despite the fact that the disease was in an earlier stage (stage two). She underwent multiple lumpectomies, and five months of chemotherapy. During her treatment, Mrs. Brady said that she and her footballer son stayed in touch frequently. The Washington Post reported her saying, “We FaceTimed a lot…Losing my hair was hard for me. I'd have my bandanna on and he'd say, 'Oh, Mom, you look beautiful, you look so beautiful.'”
Related: Coping with Hair Loss During Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Chemotherapy often has many adverse effects, such as hair loss, during the treatment process. These may also include nausea, fatigue, and nerve pain. Chemo effects can be mitigated, though, experts tell us. There are anti-nausea medications to help lessen the presence of nausea and vomiting. And new scalp-cooling technologies can reduce the amount of hair loss a person suffers.
Detecting Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is typically detected via mammogram, which looks for lumps in the breast, and early signs of cancer. Dr. Connie Lehman, a Chief of Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a previous interview, “If you haven’t gone through menopause yet, I think it’s very important that you have a mammogram every year. We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving.”
Related: When You're Getting a Mammogram, Ask About Dense Breasts
Dr. Lehman says that following menopause, women can decrease their mammogram frequency. “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. Every doctor that I know, every organization that I know really encourages women to have a mammogram. I want to be completely clear. If you are between 50 and 74 and you have not had a mammogram in the last two years, you are overdue.”
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
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