DeGeneres Joins Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign Thursday With Phone Messages

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Article Date: 30 Sep 2008 - 10:00 PDT

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Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday helped kick off a breast cancer awareness campaign led by vitamin maker One A Day that allows women to request a phone message of DeGeneres sent to someone they know reminding that person to take steps to check for breast cancer, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The campaign, called "One a Day Women's Wake-Up Call," asked DeGeneres to participate in its campaign during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. DeGeneres recorded multiple versions of a phone message that can be delivered by making an online request. The company also is donating money to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Some examples of the reminder message that DeGeneres recorded in a studio are "Hi, this is Ellen DeGeneres and your sister told me to remind you that it's Breast Cancer Awareness month," or, "Your teacher told me to call you." DeGeneres said of her mother's mastectomy 30 years ago, "It's changed my life because I'm highly aware I'm vulnerable to this is disease and I get a mammogram every year." DeGeneres also noted that a recent study has shown fewer women older than age 40 are getting an annual mammogram screening, which she said is "worrisome."

The talk show host will discuss the disease on her show, "Ellen," along with celebrity guests who have been affected by the disease, the AP/Star Tribune reports. She also plans to invite women who have personal experience with breast cancer to be on the show, as part of the phone message campaign (Elber, AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 9/26).

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