Hannah Storm of ESPN: Early Breast Cancer Detection

Join Dr. Thais Aliabadi and Mary Alice Haney as they sit down with Hannah Storm, an American television sports journalist and ESPN SportsCenter anchor. Hannah opens up about her personal experience with breast cancer and shares her advocacy for better access to healthcare for women and veterans with disabilities. She also discusses her foundation, The Hannah Storm Foundation, which supports children with vascular anomalies. From career beginnings to her friendship with Chris Evert, this conversation is informative with insights on navigating challenges in health and life.

Key Takeaways:

1. Insurance Codes Are Written To Exclude Kids Who Suffer From Vascular Anomalies: Children who need surgery for a disfiguring birthmark on their face are not covered by insurance. However, these anomalies could lead to blindness and other serious consequences.
2. Women Veterans Who Are Disabled Or In A Wheelchair Have A Difficult Time Having Gynecological Tests: Some medical facilities do not have wheelchair-accessible equipment to accommodate veterans and other women who are disabled. Visit Paralyzed Veterans of America.
3. Risk For Breast Cancer: Eighty-five percent of patients who get breast cancer don't have it in their family, and less than 5 percent of patients have a gene mutation associated with breast cancer. But, there is a higher risk when you have extremely dense breasts or have children after 30. 
4. Women With Dense Breasts Are More Challenging To Diagnose And Require Different Tests:. Ask for advanced tests like a 3D mammogram, which examines the layers of your breast. Patients with dense breast tissue need to have breast ultrasounds.
5. Tamoxifen Lowers The Risk Of Recurrence Of Breast Cancer: It does stimulate the lining of the uterus. If there's a polyp, or it thickens, you need to have a biopsy of your uterus.

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In This Episode:        ‍

• [4:50] Hannah shares how she started her career and the origin of the name “Storm”
• [8:43] Hannah’s foundation, The Hannah Storm Foundation, and discrimination of disabled
• [20:04] Hannah shares her diagnosis journey and her friendship with Chris Evert
• [27:10] Discussion of dense breasts and family members who have had cancer
• [38:19] Hannah discusses the response she received when she revealed her diagnosis and the advice she has for young women who want to enter the sports field

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Resources: 

Hannah Storm LinkedIn

Hannah Storm Instagram

Paralyzed Veterans of America

Hannahstormfoundation.org

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Get In Touch with SHE MD

SHE MD Website

SHE MD YouTube

SHE MD Website

Dr. Thais Aliabadi LinkedIn

Mary Alice Haney LinkedIn

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Quotes: 

“It is a massive issue for our female veterans to get proper gynecological care. What is so heartbreaking is that they've given everything for our country, and many times, they are coming back with broken bodies and lives and they have to carry on. These are mothers and sisters and wives, and they can't find facilities where they live that are wheelchair accessible, the most basic medical care.” Hannah Storm

“A lot of what I do is talk to men, and I say, “Take the day off if you have to. You make the appointment. You drive your wife. You go with her, support her, and ensure she gets her mammogram. That's part of love. That's part of the partnership. Because I have a large male audience, I think they need to get involved, advocate, and understand that this isn't fun. It's unpleasant, and who wants to make an appointment for something unpleasant? If you love someone, whether it's your friend, sister, partner or whatever, jump in.”  Hannah Storm

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