October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and according to the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), the best way to survive a breast cancer diagnosis is breast cancer screening, to help detect the disease early, before symptoms appear, which can significantly improve the chances of successful treatment.
However, if someone is diagnosed with breast cancer and goes through surgery, the post-recovery journey for many, is scary, painful and often bewildering.
In 2013, Nanette Kapitan was diagnosed with breast cancer and was surprised to learn there was a lack of information readily available from the medical community regarding post-surgery lumpectomy or mastectomy garments and care, including bras and prosthetics.
"It's a little disappointing because doctors don't tend to inform their patients well enough on items that are available for them to use to give them more comfort," said Kapitan. "Going through surgery, it's like any other surgery, compression is helpful."
When Kapitan moved from Calgary to the qathet region, she saw a need in the community for services to help women navigate their breast cancer journey and started her company called Kompassion for Kups at the Krossing.
"I was living in Calgary at the time that I had a lumpectomy; it's been 11 years since the surgery," said Kapitan. "When you have extended medical you typically will have your post-surgical garments covered, so I was trying to find out how I could get a product [to qathet] that I have been wearing for years."
Kapitan started ordering supplies from Anita, a European company that sells well-designed good quality, post-breast-surgery garments.
"I've had a few individuals in the area reach out to me and I've had connections with online methods such as FETCH, [a community health resource]," said Kapitan. "I've also been able to connect with the pharmacies around town."
When Kapitan first moved to the area, she was able to connect with the Tla'amin community and help out some women in need of compression garments.
According to CCS, First Nations women in Canada face notable disparities in breast cancer statistics compared to the general population: "While the overall incidence of breast cancer in First Nations women is similar to that of non-Indigenous women, First Nations people tend to experience lower survival rates after diagnosis. This is due in part to barriers like later-stage diagnoses, lower participation in screening programs, and systemic inequities in the health-care system."
Kapitan does in-person fittings at people's homes or at her home.
“A lot of people are more comfortable in their own home, so it makes it easier if I can go to their home for these services," she said.
Kapitan believes better outreach could be done in order to raise awareness about breast screening programs in communities. But, she also thinks women need to advocate for themselves as well.
"Some women are afraid, they don't want to get a mammogram because they don't want to know," said Kapitan. "But it's better to know at an earlier stage because it's potentially curable."
One in eight women is expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, that's why CCS is urging provinces and territories to lower the start-age for breast screening programs to 40 years old, for individuals at an average risk of developing breast cancer. However, some believe the age to start screening should be even lower than 40 years of age. In Canada the typical age recommendation to start breast cancer screening is 50 years old.
"Rates of breast cancer in women under the age of 50 are rising in Canada," according to a study out of the University of Ottawa, which showed an increase in breast cancer diagnoses among females in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Anecdotally, women younger than 40 are often dismissed by doctors to be screened because of their age.
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC) is now recommending women aged 40 to 49 get access to breast screening to find breast cancers early when chances of successful treatment are better.
Another tricky aspect around breast cancer detection is women who have dense breasts. According to Dense Breasts Canada, dense breasts make it harder for radiologists to spot cancer. On a mammogram, dense breast tissue shows up as white and so does a cancerous tumour.
Kapitan said she has been getting screening and biopsies since she was in her 20s, because of having dense breasts.
"I come from a health-care background, my mother and my two sisters are nurses," said Kapitan. "I offer three main products of garments, one is a compression product, which is for the initial stages after having surgery; the compression is important during healing. I carry the daily-wear garments, for after your healing is complete, and a mastectomy bra."
Kapitan said the garments don't have wires that can be uncomfortable and are fitted properly to a customer's particular body shape.
"The garments have a nice silk lining with no seams, and it also has a pocket," said Kapitan. "So, if anybody has gone through a lumpectomy or mastectomy, there are prosthetics available for that, and so they [prosthetics] also fit into the product, into the pocket of the garment."
Kapitan's business provides a product and service, but she also is a breast cancer awareness resource for those who may be struggling.
"Early detection saves lives, and I know it's scary," said Kapitan.
However Kapitan also believes lifestyle can have an impact on prevention and recovery.
"I'm doing great now; I lost weight and I try to only eat fresh food, but the cost of living doesn't make that easy sometimes," said Kapitan. "I've started to grow all of my own produce, and have learned how to store food for winter and I'm staying away from processed foods."
To find out more about Kompassion for Kups at the Krossing, go to kompassion4kups.ca, email Kapitan at [email protected] or call 604.414. 0339.
To obtain breast cancer screening in qathet, book a mammogram at qathet General Hospital. The Screening Mammography Program of BC offers free mammograms for women aged 40 and over.
Schedule an appointment by calling the BC Cancer Screening Programs Client Services Centre at 1.800.663.9203 or 604.877.6187. No referral is required for most women aged 40 and above.
qathet General Hospital is located at 5000 Joyce Avenue, and mammography appointments are available during business hours from Monday to Friday.
To find out more about breast cancer awareness month, go to uicc.org/what-we-do/thematic-areas/breast-cancer/breast-cancer-awareness-month.
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