"We are pleased to inform you. . . "

I didn't read any further!

Last week I had my annual mammogram. Now folks, there are few things in this world that I dislike more than having a mammogram, as any woman who has ever had one can understand. But the possible alternative is even worse.

So I went. Just sitting here typing this and thinking about it, makes my skin tingle with fear.

Yesterday, I finally got around to opening the letter I received. I thought it was a bill and I would sit down and pay bills later. Instead the envelope contained a letter informing me that my mammogram showed no sign of cancer.

In the past, I would skip a year or conveniently put off having a mammogram. Then a friend I've known since grade school and who is the same age as I am, went for a mammogram and they found a suspicious spot. She told me it was so small that even when the doctor pointed it out to her on the screen, she couldn't see it. She was one of the lucky ones. With early detection, she was treated with minimally invasive procedures and today she is fine. That was quite a few years back and today she is still cancer free.

So ladies, if you are over the age of 40, please don't skip your mammograms. It is worth the pain and indignity of dealing with the procedure for a short period of time each year to be sure you are free of breast cancer.