JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It was early one morning in June 2023 when Angelia Menchan woke up and had her arm across her chest.
"Right here, I felt a small pebble and it was under my left nipple," Menchan told First Coast News while pointing to her breast. "I nudged my husband and he checked."
Menchan told her husband that it was something different than what she had ever felt before.
"That doesn't belong there," Menchan's husband said.
Angelia didn't hesitate, she got up and called her doctor -- a good thing she learned from Buddy Check, being that a self exam could save your life.
"Buddy Check 12 and checking every 12th of the month saved my life," Menchan said.
Menchan also learned a painful lesson from watching her mom's experience. She explains the journey in her book, "An Unplanned Journey - My Walk Through Breast Cancer."
Menchan says her mom didn't want to tell anyone she had an issue. She remembers visiting her mom years ago.
"She just didn't want anyone in her business, even though she should have said something," Menchan said. "My sister phoned me to say, 'Mom had stage 3 cancer and clearly had had it a long time.'"
Her mom, though, was a fighter and survived five years, after being told she might last only a short time. However, Menchan thinks she might have avoided being "motherless" if her mom had spoken up before her breast cancer reached an advanced stage.
Menchan is determined to spread her message to others.
"If you have breasts, you can get breast cancer," Menchan said.
Menchan even points out that that message pertains to men, too. And her husband is grateful that she did check.
"This is my high school sweetheart," Menchan's husband told First Coast News. "They pray together often."
"My husband is my prayer warrior and we prayed and prayed, and I knew we'd be okay," Menchan said.
She says she caught her breast cancer very early and as a result, she was able to avoid chemotherapy and radiation.
If you'd like a free Buddy Check kit, click here. The kit will be mailed to you at no charge. It includes a waterproof reminder card to hang in your shower so you remember to do that self exam.
First Coast News and Baptist Health have been Buddy Check partners for 31 years when FCN anchor Jeannie Blaylock launched the project. If Buddy Check has helped you, Jeannie would love to hear from you. You can contact her at 904-361-8289.