First Lady Tonette Walker Says Prevention is Key to Fighting Breast Cancer
Stay strong in your fight, lean on family members and friends when you need to, and know that my hope for you is a clean bill of health someday soon.
The state partnered with the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association to produce and distribute brief radio address once a week. Audio files and a written transcript of this radio address can be accessed on http://www.wi-broadcasters.org and http://walker.wi.gov/Weekly-Radio-Addresses. To download an mp3 file, you can right click the radio address link and click “save link as.”
This week, Wisconsin’s First Lady Tonette Walker delivered the following radio address titled Combating Breast Cancer.
Hi, I am Tonette Walker.
My heart goes out to each and every person who has ever had to hear those dreadful words — you have cancer. Suddenly, the only thing that matters is getting well for yourself and your family. It’s a journey full of hope, prayer and, for too many people, pain. Your best chance of survival is a strong support system, a lot of fight, and an early diagnosis.
October is breast cancer awareness month, so I wanted to take this opportunity to talk to you about the disease that affects so many women, men and families in Wisconsin. Every year, thousands of people in Wisconsin are diagnosed with breast cancer, but it’s a fight you can win.
First, know your risk factors and family history. Do a self-exam at least once a month and see your doctor right away if you have any concerns. To help prevent breast cancer, live a healthy lifestyle: Eat right, get exercise, don’t smoke — making good choices now could make all the difference later.
To those who are currently fighting the battle against breast cancer, please know that you are not alone. Here in Wisconsin we have exceptional doctors and medical care staff. They’re making huge strides in the research, detection, and treatment of cancer.
Stay strong in your fight, lean on family members and friends when you need to, and know that my hope for you is a clean bill of health someday soon, so you can stand with the thousands of people in Wisconsin who call themselves survivors. Together, Wisconsin can help win the fight against breast cancer.
Lyle Ruble
3:49 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
I applaud the first lady for her support of people fighting a scourge that dramatically impacts so many women, from the underclass to the upper class. I would hope that her husband the governor was listening. Early detection is key to increasing survival and one of the most effective agencies for providing this service has been Planned Parenthood. The Republicans need to restore state funding for women's health by supporting Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood locates their offices where the service is most needed. I can't say the same for these "Right to Life" pseudo clinics.
CowDung
3:52 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
I thought the self exam was the most effective method of early detection...
Maybe planned parenthood can take some of their abortion budget and reallocate the lost state funding to keep providing their other services.
Greg
3:59 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
Doesn't Obamacare provide FREE exams?
Lyle Ruble
4:01 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
@CowDung...Nationally, only 3% of PP budget goes to abortion and none of it is government money, only private donations. If they moved all the abortion money to their general fund, it wouldn't even make a dent in what they have lost. What has happened is that PP is being punished by cutting off the funds that went to women's health. In turn it is punishing women in the working and lower classes.
CowDung
4:16 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
Good thing we have Obamacare then. We shouldn't need PP to be providing those services anymore...
Greg
4:20 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
More PP numbers:
"Nationwide, Planned Parenthood doctors and nurses provide nearly 750,000 breast cancer screenings annually, offering risk assessments, breast exams, breast health information and education, and diagnostic and surgical referrals." and only 300,000 abortions.
Nuitari
4:45 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
You are full of it Ruble. Keep interjecting your liberal garbage. We do not need Planned Parenthood and there is no war on women.
Steve ®
4:51 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
300,000 less future democrat voters. Win win
dido on the article title. Very misleading
Denise Konkol
4:54 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
@CowDung - Breast self exams are only one, but lately they're saying they're not reliable. As a woman I'm frustrated with the 'best practice' constantly changing because I never know how to best practice prevention.
Randy1949
6:02 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
@CowDung -- It depends. A mammogram can detect an anomaly that is much too small to find manually. But something that wasn't there can grow to detectable size between one's last mammogram and the current one. Women have to do both.
Randy1949
6:07 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
@Greg -- 'Obamacare' says that IF you have health insurance, preventive services like breast exams and mammograms will be paid for without a co-pay. If you don't happen to have any health insurance, which many still don't, a low-cost mammogram from Planned Parenthood is a good thing.
Lyle Ruble
6:24 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
@Nuitari...It's not liberal or conservative, it's factual information. I take women's health very seriously and my wife and I are breast cancer survivors. Early detection is critical and less expensive in the long run. Breast cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence if caught early enough. PP also provides services as simple as UTIs and yeast infections treatment for lower income women along with birth control counseling and services.
Charles Fastner
4:52 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
I don't even wan't to wade into this debate as I have no side, but I must ask that someone evaluate cost not frequency. Greg said 750k screenings 300k abortions. While that is clearly more, is it more costly? When talking budgets don't site number of items w/ out cost per item as it's meaningless if one thing cost $10 and the other $1000.
I make up numbers for a point only. If your talking where the $$ goes you need to look at cost not # of services provided.
Greg
10:54 am on Friday, October 12, 2012
I don't know that the numbers that you want are available, and even if they were I don't know that I would trust them. An example is Lyle stating that 3% of the $1 billion budget goes to abortion, yet 10% of the services are abortions. I think that it is in PP's best interests to minimize the costs of abortion services.
Craig
11:43 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
Great opening...Nuitari...Lyle.....Cow...Steve (this is not a joke)
How many of you do self exams for testicular cancer?
Would you have your boys crushed in a machine for an image to be taken?
Where would you go to have this done?
I am certain it will not be at PP (no pun intended)
Tosa720
12:17 pm on Friday, October 12, 2012
As a 4 time cancer survivor, I strongly believe in early detection,& immediate committed treatment. I 'm happy - enjoying the quality of life. I could never take a day, week, month or year away from anyone who had the possibility of detection & survival. Planned Parenthood provides a huge service to those who have no place else to go for these tests.. Thousands have survived breast, uterine, &ovarian cancer because of the early detection tests done by PP. Before any man feels it necessary to oppose the need for Planned Parenthood, or comment on what PP does, ask yourselves this: If YOUR own mother were faced with this illness when you were a child, &had a chance of being diagnosed properly, would you question whether that chance came from a publicly funded source before wanting her to go there, or would you welcome it? Saving your mother would be most important.. Every child deserves the love &support of their mother. PP provides this chance for mothers & children. There is NO issue important enough to deprive anyone this chance- whether it be money, supposed or imagined conflicts of interest, or political or religious beliefs. These exams & results provided truly save lives. Ask any child if it is "worth it" to save their mother, then believe them & support the efforts of Planned Parenthood, or else have the balls enough to face that child, or a sister, husband, etc.,& tell them that their loved one one simply does not deserve to survive.