Living proof that a mammogram can save your life

When Stephanie Cosby walked the halls of the University of Maryland -- she always felt lucky to work here -- not only did she like her job she was getting an education in *personal healthcare.

"I was fortunate enough to have worked with a breast cancer screening program for either un- or underinsured women. So I knew your self breast exam, your yearly clinical breast exam with your physician. I was too young to get mammograms at that time but I knew that I had to be doing a self breast exam, so I never found a lump."

The lump came later. An image on her 40th birthday... found through a mammogram.

"It totally saved my life. It was in such a position that it was deep so it probably would have been much larger by the time that I did detect it. So I was so thankful that I did come in and did find it on my 40th birthday."

Doctor Cristina Campassi sees stories like Stephanie’s everyday... examples of mammograms catching cancer and saving lives.

"Right now it's the most effective tool that we have to detect breast cancer."

"It's the most rewarding part and what we've achieved in screening mammogram is that the vast majority of breast cancer is diagnosed early."

Despite the scary diagnosis: Stephanie says, she felt lucky. The mammogram caught her breast cancer early. But that fortunate feeling Stephanie had soon ran out.

"I went from zero to sixty in about two weeks. Fifteen days after I was diagnosed, my mother was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. And she was living with us at the time and took a very rapid decline in her health."

And during that difficult time -- Stephanie she made a bold decision...due to her genetic history -- she opted for a bi-lateral mastectomy... removing both breasts and then having reconstructive surgery. Here she is after her surgery, a smile on her face.

"Everyone says, oh you're making jokes, you're dealing with this. Somebody flipped the light switch when my mom was diagnosed because her diagnosis was grave and she ended up passing away three weeks after my surgery. "But she was always the life of the party. She was a beautiful, smart lady who dealt with everything with such an amazing amount of grace that I miss her terribly."

So in memory of her mom, Stephanie wants to spread a message to other women out there:

"Get that mammogram at forty, do self breast exams. I have a dear friend of mine who's in her early thirties who found a lump, and stage three, but found a lump. And she's doing fine today. So, don't be afraid. Be afraid of the unknown, that's what's scarier.

A message she wants everyone to take to heart.... Stephanie your mom would be so proud.