EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — This week's 12 Health is dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which happens every October.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the US, according to the CDC. Approximately 42,000 women die from it each year.

Christine Alex of Bristol had been getting mammograms since she was 35 because of a significant family history of the disease. Last year, at age 39, imaging and subsequent biopsies revealed she had hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

Dr. Sophia Rizk, an oncologist with Southcoast Health, says for women, knowing your family history is imperative because it may mean you need a mammogram sooner than the recommended age of 40.

Once Christine got the diagnosis, she made the emotional and difficult decision to u

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