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torrancememorial.org PULSE | 15 H E A LT H L I N KS Center. "For instance, our 3-D mammography is now 41% more accurate, which reduces the num- ber of callbacks we have to do by at least 40%; those callbacks make women really nervous. "We think Breast Cancer Awareness Month is effective and valuable. It's a time when breast can- cer is covered in the news, it makes women aware they need their annual screenings, and they need to keep getting them so that annual mammograms continue to be accessible," she stresses. Dr. Sacks also emphasizes the importance of breast cancer support if you get a diagnosis. "We have many support groups here at Torrance Me- morial, as well as free classes. I always say there comes a time when you 'use up' your friends and family, and that's when you need a group of wom- en who have been through what you are going through." e Cancer Support Community is a national organization that offers services includ- ing online groups, live chats with professional counselors and regional support groups. CSN has a very strong chapter here in the South Bay—one of the most successful—according to Dr. Sacks. e Torrance Memorial Hunt Cancer Insti- tute offers a variety of cancer support groups and BCAM events; go to torrancememorial.org. Also visit cancersupportcommunity.org or call 888- 793-9355 to find the support you need. SURVIVING AND THRIVING A TORRANCE MEMORIAL X-RAY STAFFER HAS FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE. When Annamaria Cody started school in 1997 to eventually become an X-ray technologist, her older sister, Maggie, was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer and passed away in 2001. "She fought hard and kept saying to me, 'We need people like you.' It inspired me and helped me keep going." Eventually Cody became a mammogram technologist at Torrance Memorial. Now 47, she has been working with breast cancer screening and diagnosis. "It was my way of dealing [with Maggie's death], making a difference and helping people," she says. Unfortunately in November of 2014, her routine 3-D mammogram revealed aggressive Stage I triple negative breast cancer. "I felt like I was in a train wreck," Cody recalls. "I don't remember anything. But I also felt like I was in the best place I could be." Cody proceeded to go through treatment at Torrance Memorial: four surgeries and eight rounds of chemotherapy. "I have nothing but great things to say about my doctors—oncologist David Chan, surgeons Melanie Friedlander and Michael Newman—who made me feel like myself again. I love Torrance Memorial and everyone there, and feel honored to work here." Cody opted for a double mastectomy in addition to the chemo and is disease-free now, "living a healthy life and spending more time and making memories with the people I love." Those people include her husband of 23 years, Kit, and her two sons Austin and Jackson, now 11 and 9. "It was awful to tell the boys; it took me three weeks. I knew the exact day I would lose my hair aer the first chemo session, so we had a shaving ceremony. My husband shaved my head, then shaved his and my nephew's. It was liberating, and fun in a weird way, with my husband and kids included. "I was always known for my thick, long hair. I bought wigs and scarves and would let the kids or whoever was taking me out that day choose what I wore. And I told myself it was temporary; I even wrote that on the mirror," Cody says. "Going through this definitely changes you; sometimes you don't recognize yourself. But I got a second chance." Cody stresses the importance of routine mammograms and—if there is a diagnosis—finding a support group. "It really helps, not only you but also the other women, especially ones who are younger with newer diagnoses. We understand and look out for each other. We inspire each other." For information on mammography or any of the other services offered at the Polak Breast Diagnostic Center, please call 310-517-4709.