Imagine lying in bed in the middle of the night, after getting up with a sick child, trying to go back to sleep.

Your mind is full of all the activities of the week. You are lying awake staring at the ceiling, thinking about one of those “to do’s” that you rarely slow down long enough to do — a self-breast exam. Then, right there in the middle of the night you feel a small lump deep in your breast.

Is it anything?

Is it your imagination?

What if that day was April 1, 2009?

What if you were a 32 years old mother with two young children?

What if you never had mammogram screening?

What if your first mammogram ever, was looking for a lump and it was not detected?

What if you were diagnosed with breast cancer? This is the personal journey of a breast cancer survivor.

What the scary part of her story is — what if she had not done a self-breast exam that night, would she be here today?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Each year, October is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer, celebrating the lives of the many women who survived, and remembering those lost. Approximately one in eight women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point during her life.

In 2013, a projected 9,339 women in North Carolina were diagnosed with breast cancer, 60 in Halifax County.

Many of these women will survive because they were diagnosed early, but some will face premature death because they were diagnosed too late for effective treatment.

However, the good news is that early detection and treatment increase chances for survival. I encourage all women to take charge of their health by going for regular breast screenings.

The Halifax County Public Health System offers free breast screenings, education and referral services to eligible women through the N.C. Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program.

Breast screenings check a woman’s breasts for cancer before noticeable signs or symptoms are present. There are two main tests used to screen for breast cancer:

• Clinical breast exam — A breast exam by a doctor or nurse, who uses his or her hands to carefully feel for lumps or other changes in the entire breast area.

• Mammogram — X-ray of the breast. Mammograms are the best method to detect breast cancer early when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause other symptoms.

I also invite you to participate in the many community-based offerings surrounding breast cancer prevention and support.

The Roanoke Valley Breast Cancer Coalition will host a free breast exam clinic on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Roanoke Clinic. Free clinical exams, patient navigation, and breast care information will be available for all women. You are not alone. If you have breast cancer or a cancer survivor or caregiver of a cancer patient, you can now find support to help you in the fight against cancer. RV-BCC sponsors four breast cancer support groups (Hollister, Roanoke Rapids, Jackson, and Scotland Neck) within the Roanoke Valley. For more information about the support groups, contact Patricia Peele, RHG Women’s Health Educator at 252-678-4608.

The RVBCC aims to create a bold “Pink Print” across Northeastern North Carolina and boost our region’s capacity to improve breast cancer outcomes, especially among women who are medically underserved.

Join us at the Saving Our Sisters: Supporting Our Women Along the Breast Cancer Continuum of Care in Northeastern North Carolina conference.

This free, one-day conference will be held on Saturday, November 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Centre at Halifax Community College.

For more information about the conference, call 252-536-3799 or visit the website.

Early detection is extremely important for those cancers that can be cured when discovered early. Breast cancer is a good example of this. Take charge of your health. Early detection saves lives because public health matters. For more information about how public health is working for you, contact HCPHS Health Department at 252-583-5021.

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Cardra Burns is director of the Halifax County Public Health System. Her columns appear on a monthly basis