SI Swimsuit Digs Into Breast Cancer Diagnoses and Preventative Measures

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re drawing attention to the importance of early detection and treatment.

Kelly Crump and Sarafina El-Badry Nance were photographed by Yu Tsai in the Dominican Republic. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrate

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes. Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common skin cancer among women. For more information and ways to support, click here.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, SI Swimsuit is taking the opportunity to dig into the statistics, including research, prevention and treatment.

With one in eight women diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute, it’s fair to say that just about each and every one of us has been touched by it in one way or another. Here at SI Swimsuit, we have more than one former brand model who has been affected by a breast cancer diagnosis.

There is, of course, Kelly Crump, a 2022 Swim Search finalist, who self-describes as a breast cancer “thriver.” On the set of her photo shoot in the Dominican Republic, the model was happy to share both her story—her journey with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer—and her scars with the team and with the world. Since her diagnosis in 2017, Crump has made it her mission to spread awareness about the disease, put an end to misconceptions and encourage early detection (through self-scans and mammograms).

The same year, the brand welcomed breast cancer previvor and Swim Search finalist Sarafina El-Badry Nance to the fold, who elected for a preventative double mastectomy after being diagnosed with the cancer-causing BRCA2 genetic mutation. Like Crump, Nance has used her own experience for her women’s health and preventative medicine advocacy.

Breast cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the country, according to the National Cancer Institute. The disease affects more than just those with family history, too. In fact, the American College of Radiology says that three-fourths of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.

Thus, the advocacy of women like Crump and Nance is of the utmost importance. Early detection of breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute, significantly increases chances of survival. And the best way to detect the disease in its early stages is through self-exams and yearly mammograms.

Self-exams, Crump says in a recent sit-down with SI Swimsuit, can be the first step in your diagnosis journey. And thanks to mammography, breast cancer mortality in the United States has decreased by about 40% since 1990.

At the end of the day, whether you have family history of the disease or not, both self-exams and mammograms are paramount to stem the tide of breast cancer deaths. “Protect yourself,” urges Dr. Kameelah Phillips, OB/GYN. “Screening saves lives. Schedule your mammogram. Do a self-exam.” This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, take her advice and embrace these preventative measures.

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