CALHOUN CITY, Miss. (WTVA) – A Calhoun City woman shared memories of her mother, who died in 2014 of breast cancer.

Monica Thomas keeps photos of her mother, Shirley Daniel, from her breast cancer treatment.

In 2011, Daniel found a lump in her breast after taking a shower. The diagnosis was stage four breast cancer.

Thomas said her mother had no prior symptoms.

“It was in the fourth stage. She had never been sick; she had no symptoms or nothing like that. It took us by surprise because she wasn’t sick,” Thomas said.

Diagnosis and final days

Thomas said her mother struggled to breathe in her final days and lived two to three days after her condition worsened.

“I felt it, but I didn’t want to believe it. I said momma ain’t going to make it back home. Momma ain’t going to make it back home. And she didn’t,” Thomas said.

Daniel died in 2014.

“I was lying in the bed beside her. She took Coco’s hand, and the next two to three minutes, she was gone. And they were rushing us out of the room to go downstairs because the storm was hitting. That was hard,” Thomas said.

Breast cancer awareness month

October is meant to encourage women to talk to their doctors about risk, family history, and when to start screening.

Doctors say having a mother or sister with breast cancer can raise a woman’s own risk.

The American Cancer Society says women at average risk should have the option to start annual mammograms at 40 and recommends yearly screenings starting at 45.

Thomas said she believes screening recommendations should start earlier.

“I think they should change that rule. You don’t have to be in your 40s. I think you should start out at being a woman. When you hit puberty, I think you should have all those tests, including that mammogram and getting that done,” Thomas said.

Screening rates in Mississippi

Mississippi has one of the lowest breast cancer screening rates in the nation for older women and one of the highest death rates, according to the state health department.

North Mississippi Medical Center’s Breast Care Center offers 3-D mammograms.

Most insurance covers screenings with no out-of-pocket cost.