Test Those Breasts encourages people to learn the early signs of breast cancer to get ahead of a late diagnosis.
They invited people to an event on Tuesday to share warning signs they should look out for.
Organizers say a lot of the information that they share is not received by many young women in most health care settings.
They say knowing the signs of early breast cancer symptoms makes a difference for people who do self-testing at home.
Beth Smith, who is a Washoe County District Board Trustee and a cancer survivor, tells us, "The reality is, a lot of us don't know exactly what to look for. And many of us don't even know how to do our own self-exams. We might rely on our doctors to do it once a year. So what we're doing today is bringing together women and people, including men, because they can get breast cancer, to actually learn what the signs are."
Organizers told us that if caught earlier, a person could have a ninety-nine percent survival rate.
They say there's also been a rise in women in their twenties and thirties getting diagnosed, compared to before, when it was speculated to only be seen in older women.
They're hopeful that events like this spark up the conversation and make it easier to learn more about breast health.
Smith also tells us, "Particularly women and older generations, it just was not something that you talked about. But these days, women are really empowered in their health, and it's through opportunities like this where we can bring people together. We can talk about this knowledge, and we can really close that gap and empower everybody."
Organizers say it’s important to have a primary doctor you feel comfortable with to voice concerns you may have when it comes to noticing possible signs.
They want people to leave these events feeling confident to advocate for themselves when needed, and also feel educated on the signs already when walking into that doctor’s office.
Jamie Vaughn who is the Founder of Test Those Breasts said, "They need to feel that they are being listened to and knowing your own body and what cancer might feel like in your body, and knowing the differences that are happening and being able to go to your doctor and saying, ‘hey, this just doesn't feel right, and I would like to be able to get it checked out.’"
