Know Your Density: The Conversation Behind Hope in Bloom
Know Your Density: The Conversation Behind Hope in Bloom
Mammograms remain an important screening tool for people with dense breasts. Additional imaging, such as an MRI or ultrasound, may be appropriate depending on your overall risk, including your density, age, family history, and personal medical history.
November 6, 2026
As Sea Bags CEO Beth Greenlaw says, cancer touches everyone. That connection is at the heart of our Hope in Bloom campaign and our commitment to helping more women understand their breast health. For Beth, it also includes her friend Melinda Kinney, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. Melinda’s experience, alongside the perspectives of our partners at National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.® and Carrie Lyn Cares, brings an important question into focus: Do you know your breast density, and do you understand what it means for you?
Even after years of supporting breast cancer awareness through fundraising, Beth discovered there was more to learn. “We've been raising money for breast cancer awareness for 20 years, and it's only this year that I was made aware of breast tissue density and the risks for those who have dense breasts,” she shared. That realization helped shape this year’s campaign, which pairs fundraising with education about breast density and screening. By encouraging women to ask questions and share what they learn, we hope to help turn awareness into conversations that inform their care.
Understanding What Breast Density Means
Understanding What Breast Density Means
Breast density describes the amount of fibrous and glandular tissue compared with fatty tissue in the breast. About half of women age 40 and older have dense breasts. Dense tissue can make cancer harder to detect on a mammogram. Having dense breasts is common and is not itself a cancer diagnosis, but it is information worth understanding.
Mammogram reports classify breast density into four categories: A, almost entirely fatty; B, scattered areas of fibroglandular density; C, heterogeneously dense; and D, extremely dense. Categories C and D are considered dense. For Melanie Neystel, a breast cancer survivor and NBCF team member, understanding the significance of that information came after her own diagnosis. “I learned too late that dense breasts increase breast cancer risk, not just make cancer harder to detect on mammograms,” she shared. Her perspective underscores why knowing that you have dense breasts is only the beginning. Understanding how that information relates to your personal risk and screening options is the next conversation.
A Personal Reason to Share the Message
A Personal Reason to Share the Message
For Kevin Lawrence, founder of Carrie Lyn Cares, breast density education is rooted in the loss of his wife. “I lost my wife, Carrie Lyn, to breast cancer at age 52,” he shared. “Her mammograms documented Category C heterogeneously dense breast tissue, but what that meant and the increased breast cancer risk associated with it were never explained to her by her referring physician.” Kevin explained that Carrie Lyn continued receiving mammograms without supplemental screening and eventually found the cancer herself. By the time she was diagnosed, it was stage IIIC. Her experience is the deeply personal reason he wants other women to understand their density and discuss appropriate screening with their healthcare providers.
That need for clearer conversations also resonates with Melinda. On April 20, 2026, she was diagnosed with stage 1 invasive lobular breast cancer after a routine mammogram. Having previously undergone a lumpectomy, she was already being monitored as a high-risk patient, with screening that included MRIs, ultrasounds, and mammograms. She knew she had dense tissue and that it could make screening more challenging, but a conversation with Beth helped her recognize that there was more she needed to understand. “I also didn’t know there were different density categories,” Melinda said. “I had to ask about my own. There was a lot I hadn’t realized I needed to ask.”
When New Information Changes the Path
When New Information Changes the Path
Melinda’s questions continued throughout treatment. Imaging initially identified one spot in her left breast, and she chose a double mastectomy with reconstruction because she didn’t want to live with the uncertainty. After surgery, the pathology report revealed additional cancer in two other areas of the breast that hadn’t been visible on her scans. Her care team explained that the way her lobular cancer grew made it difficult to see. The cancer had not spread to her lymph nodes and remained classified as stage 1, but learning that there was more cancer than initially understood was frightening, especially after being closely monitored.
“Be prepared for a winding road,” Melinda shared. “Even when your doctors explain the plan, things can change as more information comes in.” For her, that included a recommendation for radiation after initially thinking it might not be necessary. Her experience reinforced the importance of asking for explanations, allowing room for new information, and understanding that a treatment plan may evolve. It also gave her a message she hopes other women will carry with them: “Do your homework and be your own advocate. If something doesn’t feel right or you don’t understand something, ask questions. Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.”
Turning Knowledge Into Conversation
Turning Knowledge Into Conversation
Lillie Shockney brings both professional and personal experience to this message. A two-time breast cancer survivor, nurse navigator, and University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, she has spent decades helping patients understand their care and advocate for themselves. In the campaign presentation, she emphasized that patients need to be “empowered to advocate” for themselves when conversations about density and screening aren’t happening automatically. Her perspective reinforces a practical next step: ask your healthcare provider to explain your density category, how it fits into your overall risk, and what screening approach is appropriate for you.
Mammograms remain an important screening tool for people with dense breasts. Additional imaging, such as an MRI or ultrasound, may be appropriate depending on your overall risk, including your density, age, family history, and personal medical history. As Melanie puts it, “Women need more than a density notification; they need clear conversations about their personal risk, screening options, and breast health.” For someone who has received a mammogram report without fully understanding it, that conversation can begin with a simple question: What does this mean for me?
Carrying Hope Forward
Carrying Hope Forward
Our Hope in Bloom Collection was designed to help carry these conversations into everyday life. Created in partnership with NBCF and Carrie Lyn Cares, the campaign connects education with an opportunity to give back. As Beth explained, “We chose this design because the clusters on the hydrangeas are a beautiful way to show (breast) density.” Each purchase also includes three postage-paid educational postcards to send to people you care about, encouraging them to learn about their own breast density and screening options.
From October 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026, 20% of gross sales from the Hope in Bloom Collection will be donated to National Breast Cancer Foundation to provide help and inspire hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection, education and support services. Through this collection, our partnerships, and Melinda’s willingness to share her experience, we hope to help more women feel informed and prepared to participate in their care. Melinda’s message offers a meaningful place to begin: “Make time for screening, ask questions, and understand what’s right for you.
