A life experience changed his course forever. For Andrea, a professional in the field of business administration and communication, the discovery of a possible tumor was a sudden awakening. “When I was 23, I identified a small lump that appeared on my right breast and immediately, the next day, I was operated on with a diagnosis of benign fibrocystic breast disease. At the time, doubts and fear, but mostly ignorance generated a lot of anxiety in me and my family, as we didn’t know much about the subject. After her first surgery, medical checks are carried out every six months, accompanied by a breast ultrasound where the condition of the breasts is observed. He confesses that his case helped her raise awareness about prevention. “Today I am 38 years old and since my first surgery to date I have had a total of four operations, where thank God the result continues to be benign.”
Support others
This experience motivated her to explore and investigate the subject and how she could help other women who have not had the same luck and who were suffering from malignancy. This is how CEPREME was born, a non-profit center for the education and disease prevention of Ecuadorian women. Proudly, Andrea explains that the center will soon turn 14, “We are currently working on the prevention of breast, cervical, skin, prostate, lung and ovarian cancer, we help cancer patients and their families through different projects that we carry out outside to improve their quality of life. Over time we have also created psychological support programs that are essential to better deal with treatment”. Furthermore, before the pandemic, the young professional opened the doors of her first center of CEPREMED medical specialties, where tests such as breast ultrasounds and mastological appointments are performed. When asked about dreams that come true, she does not hesitate to answer: “I feel blessed, because, by the hand of God and the private company that believes in my work , I was able to make 4,500 free clinic visits in the last two years».
Andrea insists that prevention is the basis for saving lives and recommends:
– Carry out an annual clinical check-up, which includes an ultrasound, if you are between 30 and 40 years old.
– Have an annual clinical checkup, which includes an ultrasound as well as a mammogram if you are over 40.
– Eat healthy, including water, fruit and vegetables in your daily diet.
– Exercise at least 30 minutes every day.
– See a doctor immediately if you notice any changes in your breasts, such as: contraction (backward movement or tissue that has decreased in volume), redness, orange peel, fluid from the breast or the presence of a lump.
Some indicators of the disease in the country:
According to the WHO’s “Cancer Tomorrow” report, between 2020 and 2025, approximately 4,000 Ecuadorian women would be diagnosed with breast cancer.
In 2020, Globocan (Global Cancer Observatory), shared a report that indicated that breast cancer is the type of cancer with the highest incidence rate and the second type of this disease with the highest mortality rate in Ecuador.
