FORSYTH - Diane Shankwitz, 43, is a mother, an avid bicyclist and a woman in the midst of the fight of her life.

This summer, she started to notice some changes in the way her clothes fit. While changing out of her bathing suit one day, she noticed a wrinkle in her breast.

"I thought to myself, 'Oh, my gosh, am I getting that old already that I've got wrinkles?' " she said.

As she moved her arm around, the wrinkle turned into a small dimple, then a bigger indentation. Shankwitz knew the change could be cause for concern. A clinical breast exam and subsequent mammogram did not reveal anything, but a radiologist ordered a sonogram just to be sure. That test revealed three lumps, ranging from pea- to lima-bean size and an oddly shaped lymph node.

"(The radiologist) said, 'What are you thinking?' " Shankwitz remembered. "I said, 'I think I have cancer.' "

Biopsies revealed that Shankwitz did, in fact, have breast cancer, but doctors praised her self-awareness, which likely has saved her life.

Shankwitz said she was troubled when she read about the recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recommendations against teaching self-examinations and regular mammography screenings for women younger than 50 without a family history of the disease. Also troubled were Drs. Jon Locke and John White.

Locke, head of the Decatur Memorial Hospital Women's Center, said the debate about screening mammography for women in their 40s is not new.

The data cited in the recent announcement is the same that's been kicked around for years, said White, president of the medical staff at St. Mary's Hospital. But the task force didn't believe the number of lives saved by the screenings to be "worth it," he said.

Locke and White said they plan to continue to follow American Cancer Society recommendations regarding mammography, which have not changed with the task force's recent announcement.

"I think we should continue with the screening at age 40 every year from then on," Locke said.

Locke said the effectiveness of regular screening mammography is evident, but data regarding self-exams is not as clear.

"If we're really kind of on the fence as to making a recommendation, why not?" Locke asked, adding that he sees at least one case of breast cancer that can be felt but not seen on a mammogram every two to three months.

Women should continue to do monthly self-exams and have annual clinical breast exams.

Since her diagnosis, Shankwitz has connected with quite a few breast cancer survivors who have stories similar to hers. One friend felt her cancer when she was rolling over in bed. Another found hers through a routine mammogram.

"It just saddens me that we're even thinking of telling women to not be aware of their bodies," Shankwitz said. "That's power."

It's impossible to weigh the emotional trauma of a cancer scare against the prospect of saving one's own life, she said. Having already gone through a double mastectomy and now enduring draining chemotherapy sessions, Shankwitz is confident she will beat the cancer.

She said she is looking forward to summer fun with her 6-year-old daughter, Annika, and her husband, Phil, including rides on the couple's tandem bicycle. They have ridden together in the Rocky Mountains, Switzerland and all over the country on their blue Trek bike.

"When you face the prospect of (death), you stop and pause and think about what's really important," said Shankwitz. "� You'll find amazing blessings hidden in places you'd never expect," she said.

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