Non-Profit Organization Launched to Share Widely Unknown Cancer Risk Most Women Don't Know Their Breast Density
Most women do not know their breast density and are unaware that breast density increases their breast cancer risk. Mammography will miss over 50% of cancers in dense breasts, leaving their cancers to grow and possibly spread. For women with dense breast tissue, screening mammography (including 3D) is not enough leaving millions of women at risk of cancer.
After a yearlong initiative empowering women to find out their breast density and get essential additional supplemental screenings, Founder Leslie Ferris Yerger will launch My Density Matters as a non-profit organization. "For decades, the medical industry has known that breast density masks cancers in women with dense breasts, leaving millions of women at risk. Yet very little real progress has been made; I've launched this organization to change that!" says Yerger.
Through social media, webinars, lectures, educational tools and resources, corporate health and wellness programs, and partnerships, the new organization aims to inspire action and compel women with dense breasts to get essential additional screening. "It's about saving lives through education and finding cancer earlier when the chances of survival are greatest," shares Yerger.
The launch begins with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 20, 2021, at 4:00 pm at ANUYU Boutique in Lake Zurich, IL. Leslie Ferris Yerger shares that "We will take a few moments to recognize the people that we've collaborated with so far. We've received tremendous support, and we are grateful for it."
Leslie has formed a leadership team along with volunteer social media ambassadors and hopes to raise $150,000 to support the awareness campaign Find Out My Breast Density Day 2022 and educate millions of women on this widely unknown cancer risk factor.
The organization aims to empower women to find out their breast density and speak with their doctors about additional screening. There is only one way to determine your breast density: get a mammogram and ask for the report. This crucial step is what most women are missing, and many doctors don't share this information as a common practice. Once you understand if your density is an A, B, C, or D, you can take action and talk to your doctor about additional screening options that could include ultrasound, molecular breast imaging (MBI), contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM), and MRI. More women need to understand their additional screening options and get screened for this widely unknown breast cancer risk.
About My Density Matters:
At My Density Matters, we envision a world where breast density no longer hinders the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Until that time, we empower women to find out their breast density, learn their options and insist on essential additional screening.
My Density Matters was founded by Leslie Ferris Yerger, diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in November of 2017, two months after an 'all clear' mammogram and ultrasound. Her cancer was hiding in dense breast tissue, left undetected to grow and spread. Before her diagnosis, Leslie knew nothing about the risks associated with breast density, and she is now determined to teach other people what she didn't know, so her story does not become your story.
Visit our website mydensitymatters.org to learn more about breast density, additional screening options, and our downloadable guides to empower women to find out their breast density, understand their screening options, and insist on essential additional screening