CHARLOTTE, N.C. — According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime.
“If you feel a lump in your breast, don’t ignore it," Carolina Breast Friends Executive Director Lynn Erdman said.
A lump, swollen lymph nodes under the arm and dimpling are just a few signs of the disease. But other times symptoms can be invisible.
Doctors urge women to go through steps towards early detection by doing self-exams and or mammograms.
“Make sure you go and you call your physician and you go in and have a conversation," Erdman said.
Lynn Erdman is the Executive Director at Carolina Breast Friends. The Charlotte organization was founded in 2003.
One of its goals is to mentor women in the right direction if they are not sure where to start in their survival journey.
“Nobody quite understands what it’s like to have breast cancer unless you have walked that journey," Erdman said.
Its programs give women free access to local medical experts as well as nutritional and wellness guidelines to follow. It creates a safe place for women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer with survivors familiar with the process.
“Many women come in and they say, I’m trying to make a decision or do I have a lumpectomy a mastectomy, or do I remove both breasts," Erdman said.
The organization also provides mastectomy bras and prostheses as well as wigs.
“I had a woman in here two days ago that said this is the first time I felt like a woman in more than a year and she said I just can't believe it so it's those types of things," Erdman said.
Visit sharecharlotte.org to find a menu of ways to give to Carolina Breast Friends and other nonprofits who provide resources and support to individuals with a breast cancer diagnosis.
Contact Ruby Durham at rdurham@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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