The next time your phone rings and you hear Ellen DeGeneres’ voice on the other end don’t hang up. It’s not a joke. (Unless you have a crazy cousin who likes to impersonate the comedienne.) DeGeneres has teamed up with vitamin maker One A Day to record a series of phone messages urging women to fight back against breast cancer.
The messages can be delivered by online request to concerned loved ones who may or may not be at risk for the deadly disease. The popular daytime talk show host says her goal in recording the messages is to encourage women to take steps to get checked for the disease, which according to statistics, is the second-most lethal kind of cancer in women after lung cancer.
The phone message project is one of many programs the American Cancer Society is sponsoring during October’s national breast cancer awareness month. DeGeneres says she recorded more than 30 different versions of her message (all of which you can choose from for a small fee that will be donated to cancer research), including: “Hi, this is Ellen DeGeneres and your sister told me to remind you that it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month,’ ‘Your teacher told me to call you,’ ‘Your neighbor told me to call you,’ ‘Your cousin,’ ‘Your mother.'”
The multiple Daytime Emmy winner says she was inspired to spread the word about breast cancer awareness because her mom is a breast cancer survivor.
“My mom, 30 years ago, had a mastectomy,” DeGeneres revealed. “It’s changed my life because I’m highly aware I’m vulnerable to this disease and I get a mammogram every year.”
Another reason DeGeneres says she is lending her voice to the phone messages is because recent studies indicate that the number of women over 40 getting annual mammograms is declining.
“That’s a major problem that worries me,” DeGeneres told reporters yesterday during the phone message campaign kick-off.
DeGeneres also announced plans to devote time to breast cancer awareness on her highly successful daytime talk show, “Ellen.” Viewers can reportedly look forward to episodes featuring celebrities who have been affected by breast cancer. In addition, “Ellen” producers are inviting women to tell their own breast-cancer stories for possible use on the show.