OCTOBER is designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And globally, millions of women have been affected by this dreadful disease, including some of the most prominent figures in the entertainment industry.

Pop singer Sheryl Crow, Olivia Newton-John, and Nancy Griffiths are among them.

Jamaican gospel singer Carlene Davis remembers being diagnosed with the deadly disease in 1996. The experience deepened her Christian faith.

“I received my strength when I rolled everything over to God. It was terrifying. It is like experiencing child birth for the first time. You really never know how your body will react to it. The word cancer is one that no one really wants to address because of its harshness but now it is in your face, so you have to take control over it,” Davis told the Sunday Observer.

“As a mother and a wife, I desire to see my children grow up. My family is and was very important. I wanted to live for them, so my career took second place. Once the diagnosis was accepted by my family and I got the support from them, it also gave me strength to battle the disease,” she continued.

Breast cancer accounts for 29.4 per cent of all cancers in Jamaica, with an incidence rate of 43.1 per 100,000 in women and 0.6 in Jamaican men. Women 45 years old and younger account for one-eighth of all cases of the disease.

Davis advises females to keep up to date with their mammograms and self-test breast examinations.

“There are way more information and treatment at hand than when I was diagnosed. Every women should keep up to date with their medical check-ups and if it is detected via a mammogram they should visit their doctor as early detection is the key to battling it,” she said.

With nearly a 30-year career, Davis enjoyed success in the 1970s and 1980s. Her latest set Dripping Blood (2014) peaked at number three on Billboard Reggae Album Chart. Her other albums are Vessel (1998) and This Island Needs Jesus (2000).

Her other well-known tracks include Winnie Mandela, It Must Be Love, Going Down To Paradise, Stealing Love On The Side, Santa Claus Do You Ever Come To The Ghetto, Dial My Number, and Like Old Friends Do. In 2007, she received the Order of Distinction from the Government of Jamaica for her contribution to the music industry and community development.