Jessica Baladad has been a proponent of self-exams since she was in college and discovered a mass on one of her breasts. It turned out to be a benign growth called a fibroadenoma. She had surgery to remove it, but the experience taught her the importance of checking her breasts for changes.
Years later, another self-exam revealed another lump. This time, Baladad learned that she had cancer. She spent the next three years going through extensive treatment and breast reconstruction. That journey inspired her to create the Feel For Your Life app, a digital tool for tracking breast self-exams.
This is the first cancer screening app created by a cancer survivor. Baladad explained that she wanted the app to go beyond other apps she'd seen. She wanted it to be a tool to help users understand and advocate for their own health.
In addition to providing reminders and instructions, the Feel For Your Life app is loaded with information about breast health. It includes information about screening tests, treatment options for people with breast cancer, and how to talk to your doctor about your breast health.
The app has a self-exam reminder function to prompt you to do exams regularly. You can also keep notes about what you notice during a self-exam. You can track any changes in your breasts so you don't forget details from month to month. You can even join the Feel For Your Life online community, where people share personal stories, encourage each other, and support one another in being strong self-advocates.
Baladad says she hopes to keep adding more functions to the app. In the future, she would like to have an in-app telehealth option so users can talk to medical professionals through the app. For the moment, her focus is on growing the community of users.
