‘Cy’mply Cynthia

The debate over new guidelines on when and how often women should get mammograms is causing quite the stir. For years, the American Cancer Society and other leading breast cancer organizations have advocated for routine yearly mammograms starting at 40, but a government task force says most women should just wait until 50 to start that process.

Many area doctors are outraged by the new recommendations and breast cancer patients say they can’t fathom changing guidelines that may have saved their lives. According to  CDC statistics, breast cancer mortality rates in women have gone down 1.8% per year from 1998 to 2005. Leading Franciscan Skemp breast expert, Dr. Shorter says she’s worried that if women follow the new guidelines, it’ll reverse the progress they’ve made in detecting breast cancer and saving lives. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, there’s a 98% five year survival rate when breast cancer is detected early on.

However, there is a flip side presented by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force. The task force says getting mammograms too early and too often lead to false alarms and unnecessary tests. Also, according to a New York Times article, the government group shows that the amount of women saved by starting screenings at 40, is outweighed by the risks of early mammography.

GASP! Balancing lives saved vs. money spent?!?!?! Of course no one wants that one less life saved to be their own or that of someone you love. But on the other hand, shouldn’t we be looking where at where there’s unnecessary spending in health care? (In a CNN interview, the doctors who leads the gov’t group says it’s not about money).

I guess the real question is…are we too emotional about mammograms to give these new guidelines a fair look?

-stay tuned.

On Monday, November 16th at 10:00 p.m. I’ll finally be able to share the story of Jason Schulz, a person who has given more than any one person should.

This Challenge Academy Special was nothing short of amazing to cover. The Cadets took a very special mission away from Ft. McCoy to help build a house. In the process of hammering, drilling, and measuring they ended up walking away with much so much more.

This mission was especially meaningful for some cadets who plan on going into the military after graduation.

I wish I could share more, but I don’t want to ruin the surprising twists and turns in the story!

Tune in at 10 for Challenge Academy Story Tonight and of course tomorrow for the Special!

Moments ago, the House of Representatives wrapped up more than fourteen hours of debate and passed their version of the health care reform bill.

In a narrow victory, the bill passed 220-215. Only one Republican voted for the bill, and 39 Democrats voted against the bill.

In a press conference following the House Vote, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said the vote was “bipartisan” since a Republican voted for the bill, she quickly added that they would continue to seek common ground. While the Democrats are celebrating a party victory, Madame Speaker’s comments may be a little inflated. Bipartisan, by Merriam-Webster’s definition, is “marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political parties”. While her comments may be ‘technically true,’ this is certainly not a bill that bridged the Republican/Democrat split down the aisle.

In addition, while Madame Speaker may continue to say “seek common ground”, I’m betting it’s not about finding a common ground as much as it is about finding votes.

Stay tuned, much more to come

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 1

Part 2