A Marshall county woman says a simple reminder to do her monthly self breast exam might have saved her life.

Kelley Ross is a Warsaw high school teacher, a wife and a mother of two. She's also an 8-year breast cancer survivor.

Ross says she kept hearing WNDU’s 16 Buddy Check reminders on the air while she was a stay-at-home mom. She’d found a lump, but hadn’t gotten it checked yet. One day, while at the doctor with her youngest child for a check-up, she asked about it and scheduled a mammogram. Ross didn’t have any history of breast cancer in her family; but it turned out to be cancerous. She was only 34 years old.

Ross says it’s important to go to the doctor if you notice something unusual during a self breast exam.
“Get it checked out. Don’t wait,” she said. “Listen to the voice inside your head, saying get it checked out.”

As part of 16 Buddy Check, we’re asking you and a friend each other to do a self breast exam, and get a mammogram if it’s time. Both are crucial in the fight against breast cancer.

16 Buddy Check is sponsored by the women's task force of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.

You can sign up for monthly e-mail reminders and sign up your buddy, too. Click here to check it out.

You can also learn more about breast cancer on our special Breast Cancer Awareness page throughout October.