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How a single green pea helped save Beth's life

Beth Mynatt is a breast cancer survivor because she was smart. She followed Buddy Check for years; she knew a hard lump in her breast meant call the doctor.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Beth Mynatt is dedicated to helping Navy families.

She's a former Navy wife and is now the new president of the Jacksonville Council of the Navy League of America.

"I love the Navy. That's why I'm in Jacksonville," she says.  

Her years in Jacksonville also mean she's been able to follow Buddy Check 12, our First Coast News project to encourage women to check their breasts for unusual lumps or anything that's different.   

"When I felt that lump, it was like a hard, frozen pea," Mynatt says. She adds that she's heard FCN anchor Jeannie Blaylock talk for years about how a breast cancer can feel like a frozen pea. 

She called the doctor. Smart move.

"It was cancer," she says. 

The good news?  

"It was stage one," Mynatt explains.  That means she caught it early.

Credit: Beth Mynatt, Buddy Check success story

Mynatt is now trying to persuade other women to do self exams and get mammograms. She's learned the saying, "Catch it early," should never be cast off as some cliché. It's a matter of life or death.

"It is so important," Mynatt says.

Mynatt, with her effervescent personality, is involved with getting the word out about saving history on the USS Orleck, a navy destroyer-turned-museum docked in downtown Jacksonville.  

Her respect for naval history has roots in her support of the Blue Angels, as well. 

Credit: Beth Mynatt

Just one example of why Mynatt is grateful to be alive.  

So much to enjoy.

So much to accomplish. 

Has Buddy Check helped you find a breast cancer?  FCN's Jeannie Blaylock would love to talk with you. Her email is jblaylock@firstcoastnews.com

And have you signed up yet for the Buddy Bus? It's the new mobile mammography unit, which can come straight to the parking lot of your office. Women can get a mammogram in 15 minutes. 

To sign up your group, click here.

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