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nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova Eager to use her personal experience in early detection of breast cancer to help save lives.
period Breast Cancer Awareness Month this OctoberNavratilova encouraged women to prioritize their annual mammograms, especially after the number of screenings declined compared to pre-COVID.
In fact, several 2020 studies have revealed a staggering number: About 50 percent of women delay recommended breast cancer screenings because of concerns about COVID-19.
This is a major concern because experts agree that breast cancer is If caught early, 90% are curable.
Navratilova’s outreach is working with holographic, the global leader in women’s health initiatives. The company is also an innovative medical technology company and a pioneer in 3D mammography. Hologic has partnered with the Women’s Tennis Association on several major initiatives to advocate for women’s health worldwide.Throughout the WTA season, Hologic has WTA Charity’s ACEing Cancer Program– A charitable program dedicated to supporting the fight against cancer affecting women.
Navratilova’s focus is on early detection and prioritizing one’s own health.
Navratilova exclusively said: “We are very busy, multitasking, we do a lot of important things, but I don’t know what’s more important than your health.” parade net“The sooner you find out what’s going on with your body, the better the outcome. It’s amazing to me that we prioritize everything, but we often put ourselves last.”
Read on to find out how Martina Navratilova’s screening caught her early-onset breast cancer 12 years ago, and why she urges women to make breast health and overall health a priority.
Let’s start with your breast cancer awareness advocacy and what it means for you.
Well, 12 years ago, when I was 52 years old, when I finally got my mammogram, I was stuck. They saw something, so I did a biopsy, and they said it should be nothing, and then it became something — so it was a shock to the system. As an athlete, being very fit, and living a very healthy lifestyle, I thought, “How is this possible?” But obviously, cancer doesn’t care about that.
When it happened to me, I realized that my annual exams were over four years apart because I was traveling and changing doctors and I didn’t play anymore, so I wasn’t paying as much attention to my body as I should, I let my annual exam slip. It was a shock, but I thought it was a great opportunity for me to try and make a change for some women who also let their annual mammograms slip.
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Women are busy with their careers, families, other relationships and responsibilities. Would you like to share a message or two about their mammograms, early detection, and taking care of themselves?
Well, women are good at making lists because we have to get Organized We have to handle multiple tasks at the same time. We are doing a lot of different things. So, let’s make a list. When you get a mammogram notice and it’s your annual exam time, do you put it on the list? Did you rank it first? maybe not.
So I would say, when that notification comes, put it on the list as the most important thing, because it is.If you keep sliding it away and keep putting it off, it could cost you Life.
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Hologic, Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Steve MacMillan joined Martina Navratilova, WTA President Micky Lawler and members of Hologic and the Women’s Tennis Association to ring the Nasdaq’s opening bell to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Holographic Company
The pandemic has apparently prompted women to delay mammograms and other health problems, which can have dire consequences.
Well, apparently the pandemic has put everything on hold. Until we get vaccinated and have better outcomes, many women don’t want to get a mammogram when you have COVID because nothing might happen and you might get COVID in the hospital. So people just put it on the back burner for good reasons, but I don’t think there’s really any reason not to check once you start getting vaccinated. We’ve run out of excuses not to do our annual inspection.
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Let’s talk about your life as a role model generation Women in tennis and beyond, both on and off the tennis court.
Today or even 20 years ago — and 50 or 100 years ago — we have more role models because women weren’t allowed to do most of the things that men do. This is still the case, as women are often discouraged, or certainly discouraged, from entering certain fields. Whether it’s technology, math or engineering. It’s still the world of men in many different fields. But there are far more role models, which is a positive sign.
Whether it’s politics or finance, celebrities or athletes, there are far more women in power. It’s still easier for girls to see themselves in those positions, and I think it’s huge. They don’t have to pave the way themselves, it’s much easier to follow in the footsteps of others. Things have changed, but we still have a long way to go. Regardless, it’s a pleasure to be a part of pushing women forward.
When you meet other tennis players, what questions do they ask you?
Interestingly, most of them don’t ask. I still find it weird. But maybe we’re just being too polite and not confident enough. Maybe they’re afraid to ask the wrong question. There is no such thing. I always tell my kids that it’s better to ask too many questions than not enough. I would rather give you too much information than not enough information.
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What advice do you have for the next generation of female tennis players?
I would say surround yourself with great people because whatever you want to achieve, it’s a team effort. You can’t do everything alone.
Don’t be afraid to fail because you will learn from it. Follow your intuition. If you really feel like you want to do something, do it. If it doesn’t work out, that’s okay because you’ll learn from it and you won’t regret it. You can say, “Okay, I can do better next time,” or you can say, “This won’t work at all, I’ll do something else.” So it’s okay. That cliché about getting nothing done is so true. We only regret what we didn’t do.
I would say go for it, don’t think you have to consider all possibilities before doing something because things may not go as planned anyway and you have to find a way out.
Women have a tendency to be overly analytical, and we won’t volunteer to do projects our boss asks us to do until we know we can do it all ourselves. When these people put their hands up and say “Oh yeah, I can do 20% of the things myself and I’m asking for 80% of the help for this person or that person.” So don’t be afraid to raise your hand and go for it !
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How did you react to Serena Williams’ announcement about her? retire?
Well, it’s been coming for a while. Of course COVID didn’t help her because time isn’t a friend either Serena Williams or Roger Federer. They can’t play as much as they want and will only get older. This is expected, but still sad. This is the end of an era, a huge era. You know it’s coming, but it’s still like, “Really?” You’re just kind of used to having Serena around, a new generation is stepping in, but she’s still leaving a big hole.
During difficult times in your life and career, what do you think helped you persevere?
For me, the love for the sport really came. There is never a time when I don’t want to play tennis. I think it’s important for people to do what they love to do, they’ll be satisfied, and it’s a pleasure to ride. I’ve never really felt down or depressed. If I lose too many games, I just want to figure out how I can get better. I’ve always enjoyed the process, which is why it’s never been a big deal for me when things aren’t going well.
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In your opinion, how important is making connections? Are women looking for their so-called “Old Boys Club” version?
It’s a competitive sport, but I feel like in business, tennis, and life, the old boys’ network is always helping each other. Then, when we find women connecting and wanting to help each other.
How important do you think this is?
I think it’s huge. Getting help and giving help is important. This is important for women who have already gotten somewhere and then helped the next generation. I think most women do this. We still get the image of pushing women down and not helping women enough. Excuse me, how many men help other men? nobody. Everyone wants to get ahead. But when that guy kicks the other guy down, he’s really strong. But when a woman does that, she’s a bitch. Likewise, women and men have different measuring sticks.
Now we have more women in positions of power that can help, and I think most of them do. They want to pass it on. They want to pass it on to their children, they want to pass it on to the next generation within the company. Most of them anyway. Good people will.
Then again, it’s nice to have women in these places now. We need more. Just like on the board. Most companies don’t have enough women on their boards, and they don’t have enough diversity within their companies. How are they supposed to help their constituents or clients when the client base is very diverse but the people making the decisions are older white men? Hello? I think for the most part, women do very well. What I’ve seen is that the women I see in these positions of power are doing well in a new generation of women.
What does it mean to you that you still inspire people after all these years?
I think this means that when athletes speak, people are more inclined to listen than business leaders or other celebrities. We are athletes first; we become famous because we are great athletes. We got ahead because we were better than everyone else. We didn’t get there because someone liked us, or because we looked good, or because we knew someone.
Athletes have earned their place in the spotlight, and I think that’s why the public seems to be listening to us more. It means we have a great platform, so I just try to use it better. It means that when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I knew I saved some lives because I got direct responses from people saying, “Thank God I listened to you and I did mine A mammogram, and they find breast cancer, I can.” That means the world.
Are you playing tennis these days?
I’ll play it again once the weather in Florida cools a bit. It’s just too hot right now.
If you had a few hours to relax, how would you spend it?
ski. My preference is ski powder and virgin powder. I love to ski and that’s what I’ll do. Nothing beats it. It’s like floating in the clouds, weightless, going down a mountain at 20 or 30 miles per hour.
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