WEST PALM BEACH, FL--Andrea Hanley knows how busy women are when they are mothers. But she'll be the first to tell you that even young moms need to have regular breast exams.
Andrea Hanley: "When I was 33 years old I was pregnant for my second child and I went in for my first pregnancy check up to see Dr. Lopez-Beecham and she felt a lump. And I'd been in a month and a half before for my annual check-up, so I thought everything was fine. She said, No, I didnt feel anything then but I do now."
At a time when most moms are considering whether to decorate the nursery in pink or blue, instead Andrea was going for a biopsy.
Andrea Hanley: "So I got it checked and they found out it was cancer."
Dr. Geoffrey Zann, a gynecologist, teaches women the critical things to look for when they are doing a self exam.
Dr. Geoffrey Zann, gynecologist: "You look for things such as a palpable mass or changes in the skin, dimpling, puckering, buckling, a lump that stick out sometimes tenderness but commonly the mammogram is our best line of defense. Even though mammography has false positives and false negatives, it is still the best base line screening that we have to pick up early disease."
Andrea had a mastectomy and opted to have reconstruction during her pregnancy.
Andrea Hanley: "I went through a lot. It was a scary time but also a very happy time. I was anticipating the birth of my daughter Kelly. We named her Kelly because it means Brave Warrior and she was so brave through all of this before she was ever born."
Does Kelly think that the name Brave Warrior suits her?
Kelly: "Yes!"
