It’s a well-known fact that medical help for women in Nevada could be improved.
That holds true for oncological care, specifically screening for and treatment of breast cancer. Only 70 percent of women from 50 to 74 here have had a mammogram in the last two years.
That’s despite the fact that one in eight American women (or 13 percent of the population) will be diagnosed with it at some point in their lives — statistics that make it the most common form of cancer among women, behind skin cancer.
In Nevada, 2,197 people were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, and 400 people died from it.
Yet as Gina Greisen, the longtime president of animal welfare group Nevada Voters for Animals found out, even regular screenings can sometimes miss the disease. Greisen was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in September, just a few weeks before the start of October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
She said her last mammogram didn't flag the cancer, and a bevy of tests were unable to diagnose the source of her increasing pain in the months leading up to her diagnosis.
“When I was out investigating the Reba case,” she recalled, “we were out putting up posters, and I actually had to have another friend come with me, because I couldn't get in and out of the car. And I didn't know why — I thought it was just arthritis.”
She said the news that it’s cancer again, after having been treated for it once before in 2015 and going into remission, has taken an indescribable toll on her family.
“My mom is so devastated right now, and I know she wants to know too: How did we get here?” she said. “She lost my brother just a couple years ago, and is now facing the prospect of losing me. It's a terminal disease. It's just a matter of if we can find the right therapies. How long? It's not if, it's just going to be when.”
Navigating how to afford extensive cancer treatments has also been a learning curve, considering breast cancer is ranked by the CDC as the most expensive form of the disease to treat. One study reported that stage 4 treatment, like the kind Greisen is pursing, can cost anywhere from $89,000 to $182,000.
“Just because you're poor should not mean that you don't get healthcare,” she said. “I'm a broke advocate. That's just who I am. But I've done a lot in my community. I have a college degree, I could probably go get a great paying job somewhere, but this is what I'm good at, and every time I want to try to leave or go do something else, I get pulled back in because there's so much need. … I am not a rich person in things, but I'm a rich person in being surrounded by good people.”
In the weeks since her diagnosis, Greisen’s been vocal in spreading awareness of how common and dangerous breast cancer is, not just among women, but also men and household pets.
Her message: advocate for yourself and get tested regularly.
“Take care of yourself. Advocate for yourself. Go to the doctor, get the testing done, follow through. Don't let the insurance system frustrate you.”
An especially important message for women and caretakers, since "we always put ourselves behind everything else.”
In the meantime, Greisen intends to keep fighting the cancer for her family, friends, and the local animals she’s been so instrumental in helping during her tenure with Nevada Voters for Animals.
“I know that my work is needed — the animals need my voice. They need all of our voices, but I usually kind of lead the charge. So, I look at these animals that have no one, they have no voice. I want to continue to be that voice for as long as I can. And that keeps me going.”
You can find cost-free and affordable breast cancer screening sites through the Nevada Cancer Coalition’s website and the Nevada Health Centers Mammovan.
Mammovan in Las Vegas:
Thursday, Oct. 17
7:40 a.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Superior Grocers: 1955 N. Nellis Blvd., Las Vegas
Friday, Oct. 18
7:40 a.m. – 3:20 p.m.
La Bonita Supermarkets: 2203 Civic Center Dr, North Las Vegas
Guest: Gina Greison, president, Nevada Voters for Animals
