Happy New Year!!!

The country said good bye to President Gerald Ford last week. However, many media outlets remarked that former First Lady Betty Ford may have eclipsed her husband’s influence because of the way she publicly and courageously handled life’s challenges & demons.

Betty Ford was forthright about her bout with alcoholism. She also became the new face of early detection after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She was the “First Buddy” for all women in this country.

As we start our 13th year of Buddy Check 9, don’t forget to call and remind your Buddy of the life saving steps she can follow for early detection.

Current breast cancer screening methods are about finding something. But some researchers believe by the time you feel a lump, the disease is no longer at its earliest, most treatable stage. However, this New Year could offer an exciting advance in Early Detection. In our first Buddy Check 9 of the year, I will be reporting on the HALO System. Some are calling it a pap test for the breast.

In the metro area, Dr. April Rubin is the first OB/GYN to include this test as part of her regular clinical exams. As with a pap smear, doctors collect cells from the fluid in the milk ducts. If the cells are atypical, the patient could be 8 to 10-times at higher risk for developing the disease.

Learn more about why Dr. Rubin is excited about this new approach to detecting breast cancer even before it begins. Our report on the HALO BREAST PAP airs Tuesday, the 9th of January on 9NEWS NOW @ 5am.