‘It Could Save Your Life’: OhioHealth Associate Shares Personal Cancer Journey to Share Importance of Mammograms
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month – it’s a time of year when we often hear about the importance of mammograms and how they have been proven to save lives. Ashley Coleman is an OhioHealth associate on the pharmacy team at Marion General Hospital. She is sharing her personal story to highlight the importance of getting your mammogram done. For Coleman, a mammogram didn’t reveal breast cancer – it revealed another diagnosis – and she says it saved her life.
As October brings Breast Cancer Awareness Month to the forefront, OhioHealth Marion General Hospital pharmacy technician, Ashley Coleman, shares a deeply personal and powerful message: the importance of mammograms. Coleman’s story is not only a testament to the life-saving potential of early screening but also serves as an encouragement to women to take charge of their health.
Coleman said she began considering mammograms in her mid-30s. With a family history of breast cancer – both of her grandmothers battled the disease and had mastectomies—Coleman knew she had to be vigilant.
Though she felt fine, she decided to act based on her family’s history. In February 2024, at the age of 41, Coleman went for her first mammogram. While it did not reveal breast cancer, the screening uncovered another concern: a mass under her left armpit.
“When I got my results that they found a mass, I was really scared,” Coleman said. “I broke down because my mom had just passed away last June of 2023 of lymphoma.”
In March, Coleman was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, stage III.
“When I was first diagnosed, I was very scared I thought I’m going to be sick and in bed all the time and I have a toddler at home. I thought, ‘how am I going to do this?’”
Coleman said she believes her mammogram saved her life.
“If I hadn’t had that mammogram, I’d be walking around today, and I wouldn’t know I had it because I showed no symptoms. There were several, like six different symptoms I could have had, and I only had one and it was night sweats,” she explained. “But I had people tell me ‘oh well you just had a baby, it’s just your body regulating back.’ And it wasn’t. It wasn’t. It was a sign that I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and I didn’t know until I had that mammogram.”
Coleman credits her faith, family, co-workers, and others who contribute to her support team for helping her push through treatment. She returned to work at the hospital about a month ago and will have her port removed in the next few weeks.
She is sharing her personal story to encourage others to get their mammograms.
“Get them done. It may be awkward, it may be uncomfortable, but it could save your life.”
OhioHealth recommends women follow the current National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines below. Mammography has proven to save lives through early detection.
- Screening mammogram beginning at age 40 for all women of average risk.
- An annual clinical breast exam by a doctor.
- Monthly breast self-awareness.
- Specific mammogram screening guidelines can be discussed with your OhioHealth physician.
- Women should talk to their doctors about the screening that is right for their individual needs.
- Women at high risk for breast cancer may need more frequent or earlier mammogram screening.
Find out more information on OhioHealth’s mammography page here.
You can also find out more information about OhioHealth’s North Market Mobile Mammography Unit, which has helped hundreds of women access this care by eliminating the barriers. Find out more about how you can support the North Market Mobile Mammography Unit here.
