Mammograms & Early Detection of Breast Cancer: Sandy's Story
In June 2023, Sandy Ellington-Graves was diagnosed with breast cancer. When she received her diagnosis, she hadn't had a mammogram for six years. Sandy leads a full life — she serves as the School Board Chair for Alamance-Burlington School System, she's a real estate broker and she's a mom of three. Today, she is also urging women to protect their health by getting regular breast cancer screenings.
Mammograms detect and diagnose breast cancer early, when it’s easier to treat. Learn more at conehealth.com/mammogram.
Sandy's Story
A mother, school board leader for the Alamance-Burlington school system, and real estate broker -- Alamance County native Sandy Ellington-Graves stays busy throughout the week.
"You learn balance," Sandy says. "And patience!"
She enjoys pouring into the community she treasures -- but at no point did she think that same community would have to pour heavily into her.
In June of 2023, Sandy was diagnosed with Stage 1A breast cancer.
"I never expected the word cancer to be in my future," says Sandy. "They were aggressive in scheduling the surgery. Surgery went really well. Pain management was great. And I went back for my first post-op, and I found out that two of my four lymph nodes were positive."
Year after year, Sandy would always get her annual mammogram. Until 2017, when life got in the way.
"We got busy, we had the pandemic, and there was always something else that took priority," Sandy recalls.
Sandy had not received a mammogram for six years, until a health scare recently landed her in her primary care physician's office. Her physician noted she did not have any mammograms in her chart.
"As women, we're kinda home managers, and we're always making sure that everybody else is getting taken care of in the family," says Amanda Scarlett, mammography supervisor at Cone Health's Norville Breast Center. "So we tend to put our own health on the back burner."
Mammograms are typically recommended for women starting at the age of 40.
"We want you to come in every year because the goal is to really detect breast cancer at its earliest, most treatable stage. And mammograms are still the best screening tool," Amanda says.
Today, the message Sandy encourages other women to not put their annual mammograms off like she did.
"In reality, nothing should take more priority than your mammogram," Sandy emphasizes. To spread this message, Sandy works with several organizations, including Little Pink House of Hope and The Pink Ribbon Fund -- and her work is making an impact.
"There are a lot of people just from the past three weeks, that have shared their story, and said 'I'm going to get a mammogram because of you,'" shares Sandy.
Testimonies like that keep Sandy going. So does learning to lean on her family, community and faith.
"I think when God gives you things, you figure out ways to find that silver lining and to find that purpose, and just bring something good out of it," Sandy says.
Sandy knows she has a long journey ahead of her -- but she's thankful she's not alone.
Why Are Mammograms Important? Q&A With an Expert
Christine Brannock, oncology outreach manager with the Cone Health Cancer Center, shares what you should know about breast cancer screenings in this 2 Your Well-Being discussion with WFMY News 2.
