Breast Cancer! A Winnable Battle!

Last year my father, age 85, did battle with bladder cancer. He was blessed with great doctors and literally hundreds of people praying for him. Today you wouldn’t even know that he had been through a fight with a high grade, high stage cancer that takes more lives than it passes by.

Today I leave for Wyoming again. Tomorrow my mother will have a lumpectomy to remove a tumor from her breast. Again, I ask you to pray. All of the previews indicate that the cancer is contained in the lump and unless something different is found during surgery, her prognosis is good.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women, as with prostate cancer in men, only second to skin cancer. With improved screening and more education about self examination, breast cancer is more commonly found these days in early stages. As with all cancers, the earlier the cancer is found the higher the survival rate.

While my Mom is 84 and not likely to be shopping for life insurance, if she were, the news would be good. A lump, or encapsulated tumor, is relatively easy to treat generally by removal of the tumor and radiation therapy. If the biopsied tumor did in fact show it was a low grade tumor and had not spread, a woman could expect that life insurance would once again become affordable as little as a year post treatment.

When you do reach that point of being ready to shop for life insurance, a few helpful hints. Pardon my broken record, but find a good independent agent with a good working knowledge of breast cancer underwriting and a good track record of results. Obtain and keep a copy of your post surgical biopsy so that the agent and the life insurance underwriters know exactly what they are dealing with and quoting. Accurate and complete information will lead to better offers and results.

Bottom line. Breast cancer is becoming more survivable each year and has made enormous strides over the past ten years in its’ treatment by life insurance companies. Start formulating a game plan with an independent agent as little as six months post treatment.