Midlands Native Hopes to Raise Awareness About Breast Density After Losing Mother to Cancer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)- College students allover the state are wrapping up their winter breaks before they head back to class next week but one Clemson junior from The Midlands is getting ready for a special marathon to honor his late mother.

This year, Nick Gelting of Forest Acres will run the Charleston Half Marathon on January 13th, a run that will motivated be by his love for his mother.

“I didn’t really get into running until my mom passed away three years ago. It’s something she was big into and she always pushed me to do but I never had the motivation to get into. But now I’ve been running a lot because it is a way to keep her in my heart,” Gelting said.

Nick’s mom Hope died from metastatic breast cancer after her son says she went for an annual mammogram no one informed his mom that she had dense breast tissue.

“On mammograms, dense breast tissue and cancer both show up white so it’s kind of like trying to find a snowball in a snowstorm so it’s nearly impossible to tell. You can get further tested but she was not told at the time,” said Gelting.

In 2016, South Carolina lawmakers passed Hope’s Law, a measure that requires doctors to inform patients if they have dense breast. Before her death, Hope worked closely with the Are You Dense Advocacy Group to pass the legislation. Now Nick is working with that same group, hoping to draw attention each mile he runs.

“It’s important because my mom helped work with them and that’s how she was able to get this law passed in South Carolina,” Gelting said.

According to Are You Dense, around 40 percent of women in our nation have dense breast tissue. Nick hopes his effort will bring more awareness to issues surrounding the condition. If you want to help Nick meet his goal, click here. To learn more about breast density, click here to visit Are You Dense’s website.