Bella the Cancer Sniffing Dog Appeared on FOX & FRIENDS in NYC; Bella Is Also a Character in the Children's Book Series Created by Susan Castriota

Bella's keen sense of smell detected the breast cancer of her owner Susan Castriota. The story of a woman's best friend aired on August 24, 2013 with a powerful message for woman about the importance of yearly mammograms.

Early detection saves lives and this may be something we can use in the future.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) September 04, 2013

Susan Castriota, renowned children's book author/illustrator of the series Wilson's Wondrous Tails, is fortunate to have a dog with an extraordinary sense of smell. Castriota was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2012 (National Breast Cancer Awareness month). Bella, a white Havenese, was sniffing and poking at Castriota's breast months before having her yearly mammogram. When doctors discovered the cancer, it was in the exact place where Bella had been poking around. Castriota, who underwent a double mastectomy, chemo and reconstruction surgery, is recovering beautifully and is deeply grateful to Bella.

Sitting on the set of FOX News in NYC, Bella sits quietly while Castriota tells enlightened viewers of the extra-sensory perception of dogs and how Bella's sniffing ability is up to 100,000 times stronger than humans. How is that even possible? Dr. Daniel Petrylak, professor of medical oncology and director at Yale Cancer Center, joined Fox & Friends to discuss this medical phenomenon. He explained that cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can be detected by dogs. Now, researchers are actually training dogs to sniff out specific proteins. “Early detection saves live and this may be something we can use in the future,” Dr. Petrylak said.

As Castriota's creative juices returned, Bella was the inspiration for the next book, "Wilson and Bella's Big Apple Adventure!". Bella's fictitious New York City adventure is cleverly interwoven with the true story of the joy she brings to Castriota and adopted dog Wilson. As Bella sneaks off to NYC, Wilson and friends set off on a mission visiting the Big Apple's famous and historical sites in pursuit of his beloved Bella. "Wilson and Bella's Big Apple Adventure!" will be released in October.

Castriota who also appeared on THE DOCTORS show, is very pro active. She has a life saving 3 point message for woman: ONE mammogram per year, TWO opinions if diagnosed, THREE-D imaging mammography. For more information, please contact Susan Castriota at wilsonsbook(at)aol(dot)com.