Ouch

Today was—get ready for it—Mammogram Day!

This one was rather thorough (nine images!), since it was a diagnostic rather than a screening. But I am healthy (if lumpy) and will probably be so until my late forties, the age when both my mother and maternal grandmother were diagnosed with breast cancer.

Girls, we DO need to be careful.

According to The Breast Cancer Site, one American woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. If detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds 95%.

Be informed.

Over 20? Do your self-checks.

Over 40? Get your mammograms.

30-something with rotten family history? Ask a women's health professional for advice.

All of us should also get our annual check-ups (including the dreaded PAP). Women's clinics around the country can do this for a minimal fee.

Looking for an easy way to help others? Click daily on the "Fund Free Mammograms" button at the Breast Cancer Site to help fund free mammograms for low-income, inner-city and minority women, whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited.