Breast Cancer Awareness 10 14 2015

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2015

DAILY JOURNAL

LAUREN WOOD | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

When Shana Cummings, left, was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly six years ago, she leaned on her mom Terri Cummings, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1982.

Baldwyn mother, daughter share breast cancer journey

BY MICHAELA GIBSON MORRIS DAILY JOURNAL

BALDWYN – When Shana Cummings was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly six years ago, she didn’t have to look far for a role model of survivorship.

Her mom Terri Cummings will mark 33 years as a breast cancer survivor in December. No one wishes for breast cancer, but she was glad her only child didn’t have to make the journey alone.

“When she was diagnosed, I was happy I had breast cancer,” Terri said.

“I wanted her to look at me and realize ‘I can still be here.’”

It hasn’t always been easy, but the Baldwyn women have drawn strength from each other.

“You have to believe in God and believe in yourself,” said Shana, 36 and a nurse working in nursing administration at North Mississippi Medical Center.

The experience also teaches you what’s truly important, they said.

“It’s not about your breasts,” said Terri, now 58 and retired. “It’s about your heart.”

DIAGNOSED AT 25

In 1982, a pink ribbon was just a pink ribbon.

“I don’t think I had ever heard of

breast cancer,” Terri said. “It was years before I met anyone else with breast cancer.”

Terri was 25 years old and the mother of a 3-year-old Shana. She went to the doctor after a knot on her breast appeared and didn’t go away.

Because of her age, her doctor thought it was unlikely it was anything serious. To find out exactly what the problem was, they scheduled a biopsy for just before Christmas 1982 to minimize the time out of work.

“In those days, you went into the hospital for a biopsy,” Terri said.

After the biopsy, her doctor didn’t need the pathologist’s report to know it was bad news.

“My doctor was torn up about it,” Terri said.

There was lots of crying, and initially, Terri remembers being resistant to the idea of surgery. But her medical team pushed her to reconsider, and she agreed. In hindsight, the decision not to delay likely saved her life.

“It would have spread like wildfire,” she said.

They kept her in the hospital for 10 days, and she missed Christmas at home.

“Everybody else on the surgery floor (except for one other breast cancer surgery patient) got to go home for Christmas,” Terri said. The nurses

hung out in her room and shared holiday treats.

She remembers Shana coming to visit her with her Christmas presents in tow.

“She had gotten her first Barbie doll,” Terri said.

Visiting her mother in the hospital with that Barbie and her horse Dallas in hand, is one of Shana’s earliest memories.

“I’ve never known my mother not being a survivor,” Shana said.

There were tough moments as Terri recovered, but she had the support of family and friends. A friend brought a book of jokes that provided sweet relief. Her faith in God was her rock.

She was followed closely by a Memphis oncologist, but avoided the need for chemotherapy. She continued to work at Lane in the human resources department until she retired in 2012.

SHANA’S STORY

Because of her mom’s history of breast cancer, Shana Cummings had already had two mammograms before her 30th birthday. During her annual check up in 2009, Shana remembers chatting away about Christmas shopping, when her nurse practitioner paused during the clinical breast exam.

“Have you felt that before?” Shana

remembers her asking.

Shana went straight for a mammogram, and then for an MRI. She had an MRI-guided biopsy, and unlike her mom, waited for the results at home. Her mom asked her surgeon to call her first if it proved malignant.

“I didn’t want her to be alone when she got the news,” Terri said.

When Shana saw her mom at the door she knew.

“She said, ‘It’s cancer’ with tears in her eyes. ‘But look at me, I’m still here,’” Shana remembered her mother saying.

Because her tumor was caught at an early stage, Shana had a lumpectomy, but her pathology results showed her tumor was negative for estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors. Oncologists have targeted therapies for cancers that test positive for those receptors, greatly decreasing the odds of reoccurrence with fewer side effects.

Because both triple negative breast cancers and breast cancer in younger women tend to be aggressive, her medical team suggested more surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

She had gotten a second opinion with oncologists in Birmingham. She and her medical teams decided on a bilateral mastectomy with immediate TURN TO JOURNEY, 12A

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10A

THE PINK PROJECT

DAILY JOURNAL

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2015

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11A

Facts & Stats

Symptoms

Different people have different warning signs for breast cancer. Some people do not have any signs or symptoms at all. A person may find out they have breast cancer after a routine mammogram.

Some warning signs of breast cancer are: • New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).

• Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.

• Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.

• Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.

• Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.

• Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.

• Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.

• Pain in any area of the breast.

Keep in mind that some of these warning signs can happen with other conditions that are not cancer.

If you have any signs that worry you, be sure to see your doctor right away.

Screenings

BREAST CANCER SCREENING means checking a woman’s breasts for cancer before there are signs or symptoms of the disease. Three main tests are used to screen the breasts for cancer. Talk to your doctor about which tests are right for you, and when you should have them.

BREAST SELF-EXAM. A breast self-exam is when you check your own breasts for lumps, changes in size or shape of the breast, or any other changes in the breasts or underarm (armpit).

MAMMOGRAM. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Mammograms are the best method to detect breast cancer early when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. If you are age 50 to 74 years, be sure to have a screening mammogram every two years. If you are age 40–49 years, talk to your doctor about when and how often you should have a screening mammogram.

CLINICAL BREAST EXAM. A clinical breast exam is an examination by a doctor or nurse, who uses his or her hands to feel for lumps or other changes.

SOURCE: www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/

ADAM ROBISON | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Eloise Shumpert, Sarah Stow and Vickie Riley are among the 30 Women First Resource Center volunteers who man the snack cart, delivering goodies and smiles to cancer patients and their caregivers at the NMMC Hematology and Oncology Department at Bridgepoint.

Women First Resource Center continues to serve, evolve

BY MICHAELA GIBSON MORRIS DAILY JOURNAL

Breast cancer was the irritating grain of sand that inspired the pearl that become Women First Resource Center.

Layer by layer, breast cancer survivors Sherry Abraham and Judy Hester – with an army of fellow advocates – have built the allvolunteer effort up over 16 years.

“Breast cancer is the constant,” Abraham said, but Women First has branched within their North Gloster Street center and beyond to reach people going through cancer treatment. “We’re a fullfledged resource center. It’s evolved into women helping women.”

ON A ROLL

The Women First outreach to cancer treatment patients began small.

“We started one day a week with a handful of volunteers,” Hester said.

Now the Women First hospitality cart has grown into a 30-person effort. Volunteers deliver snacks, drinks and kind words five days a week at the North Mississippi Medical Center Hematology and Oncology Department at Bridgepoint.

“These volunteers, many of them have been touched by cancer,” said breast cancer survivor Stow, who coordinates the Women First cart program. “They feel like they’re giving back.”

In addition to drinks and snacks, the cart is stocked with Women First brochures, handmade caps and turbans for those losing their hair, Stow said. Pudding and applesauce stay on deck in a refrigerator for patients who have sore mouths from chemo. The volunteers also have little happies for patients on their last day of treatment.

“They go through the whole building,” Abraham said.

Last year, they provided 11,500 services at Hematology and Oncology. They track what county people they share with are from as part of the support they receive from United Way of North Mississippi.

“Our services have doubled,” with the growth in the volunteer cart program, Hester said.

Beyond the snacks, it is the gift of time and an open ear. It’s not unusual for the volunteers to pause and visit with patients and caregivers who want a little company.

“That’s our reward,” Stow said.

To keep the program rolling it takes a scheduler and three buyers who keep the cart stocked.

Stow works closely with the NMMC staff to make sure the Women First follow the rules and

The cart is loaded with snacks, hand-made turbans and information about the resource center’s free services. |

UPCOMING BENEFITS

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Cut-A-Thon for a Cure • 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 17 • AJ’s Salon, Pulltight Road, Saltillo • Minimum donation $10 for cut and style. Participants enter prize drawings..

All proceeds go to Women First Resource Center here in Tupelo.

• Call (662) 869-7115.

Vendor’s Cottage benefit • 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 13 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Women First Resource Center, Tupelo • Vendors will have cosmetics, jewelry, food, clothing, bakeware for sale.

• Space is still available for vendors.

• Call (662) 842-5725. guidelines required for hospital volunteers.

“We couldn’t do it without them,” Hester said.

BACK AT THE CENTER

The resource center remains home base of the Women First services. A group of 35 volunteers keeps the center open five days a week. The center hosts a range of women’s health and well-being support groups, offers a wig boutique for cancer patients. Its

WOMEN FIRST RESOURCE CENTER

• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday • 215 N. Gloster St., Tupelo • Free services include: wig and prothesis boutique for cancer survivors, casserole club open to those in need, support groups, assistance finding community resources, scholarship for children who have lost a close relative to breast cancer.

Meeting space available for women’s groups

SUPPORT GROUPS

Four support groups meet regularly at the Women First Resource Center casserole ministry, stocked by local church groups, is open to anyone in need.

As it has since the beginning, the center still is a 100 percent volunteer organization open to the community. The center receives support from United Way, Carpenter Foundation and donations.

“We charge for absolutely nothing,” Hester said.

The center’s pink ribbon roots remain strong. The group still sponsors an annual scholarship for a student who has lost a close

in Tupelo. Call (662) 842-5725 • Ovarian cancer support group – 5:30 p.m., first Monday of the month.

• A New Day support group – 5:30 second Monday of the month. A socially focused group for women who have lost husbands.

• Women with Cancer-Tupelo support group – 5:30 p.m. third Monday of the month.

Fibromyalgia support group – 5:30 p.m. fourth Monday of the month.

• Caregiving on Call – one-on-one support for caregivers is available by appointment.

• An affiliated Women with Cancer group meets in Amory. Call (662) 315-0721. relative to breast cancer.

There are little comforts available for breast cancer patients like under arm pillows to cushion sites where lymph nodes were removed to check for spreading cancer and aprons to hold drain tubes that are still in place when women go home after breast cancer surgery.

They have prothesis available for women who have gone through mastectomy surgery.

“It’s women helping women any way we can,” Abraham said. michaela.morris@journalinc.com

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Risk Factors

Research has found several risk factors that may increase your chances of getting breast cancer.

• Getting older.

• Being younger when you first had your menstrual period.

• Starting menopause at a later age.

• Being older at the birth of your first child.

• Never giving birth.

• Not breastfeeding.

• Personal history of breast cancer or some non-cancerous breast diseases.

• Family history of breast cancer.

• Treatment with radiation therapy to the breast/chest.

• Being overweight (increases risk for breast cancer after menopause).

• Long-term use of hormone replacement therapy (estrogen and progesterone combined).

• Having changes in the breast cancer-related genes BRCA1 or BRCA2.

• Using birth control pills, also called oral contraceptives.

• Drinking alcohol (more than one drink a day).

• Not getting regular exercise.

Having a risk factor does not mean you will get the disease. Most women have some risk factors and most women do not get breast cancer. If you have breast cancer risk factors, talk with your doctor about ways you can lower your risk and about screening for breast cancer.

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THE PINK PROJECT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2015 |

EVENTS CALENDAR Oct. 16 “Do You Know What the Color Pink Means?” breast cancer lunch will be held at noon, Oct. 16 at First Baptist Church in Fulton. Free. Call Romona Edge at the Mississippi State Extension office at (662) 862-3201.

Oct. 17 Cut-A-Thon for a Cure will be 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 17 at AJ’s Salon, Pulltight Road, Saltillo. Minimum donation $10 for cut and style. Participants enter prize drawings. All proceeds go to Women First Resource Center in Tupelo. Call (662) 869-7115.

Oct. 24 Komen North Mississippi Race for the Cure 8 a.m. Oct. 24 5K and 1 mile fun run. Benefits breast cancer education, screening and diagnostics and research. Team registration deadline Oct. 9. Online registration through komennorthms.org until 4 p.m. Oct. 16. In person registration and packet pick-up noon to 7 p.m.

Oct. 21-23 at Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Nov. 13-14 Vendor’s Cottage will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 13 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Women First Resource Center, Tupelo. Vendors will have cosmetics, jewelry, food, clothing, bakeware for sale. Call (662) 842-5725.

Ongoing NMMC Mobile Mammography Unit will travel to the following locations around Northeast Mississippi in September. The cost of a screening mammogram is $267 and is available by appointment.

Resources are available for those without adequate health insurance coverage. Call (662) 377-7982 or (800) 843-3375.

• Oct. 12-13 – Booneville Medical Clinic • Oct. 14 – Baldwyn Medical Clinic • Oct. 21 - Calhoun Health Services, Calhoun City • Oct. 22 - NMMC-Pontotoc • Oct. 26-27 - Tippah County Health Services, Ripley • Oct. 28 - Fulton Medical Clinic

Obstetrics • Gynecology For an appointment call

(662) 844-8754 1041 S. Madison Street • Tupelo, MS

DAILY JOURNAL

Phil Edwards: On the road again for Komen

BY WILLIAM MOORE DAILY JOURNAL

TUPELO – It’s easy to support a good cause. It’s even easier when you have seen the benefits firsthand.

“If it wasn’t for the Komen grants, two of our patients might not be here today,” said Phil Edwards, nurse manager for the Access Family Health Services clinics in Tupelo and Houlka.

So Edwards helped organize a 2014 Race for the Cure team among the employees at Access Health’s clinics in Tupelo, ADAM ROBISON | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM Houlka, Smithville and Phil Edwards helped start a race team last year after seeing two of his patients Tremont. They created benefit from Komen grants. matching T-shirts and had 32 people sign up, though not all ventured Susan G. Komen Founda- really hit home. Not just money well spent. out on the Saturday tion and finding a cure for me, but for all of us “When I came here morning of the race. for breast cancer. They here.” four years ago, we had “Some ran. Some set a goal of raising The Komen Foundatwo patients and both walked. Some slept in,” $1,300 before the annual tion is proud that 75 per- got Komen grant money Edwards said with a grin. 5K race on Oct. 24. They cent of all money raised to get mammograms,” Those who decided not raised almost half that re- through races remains said Edwards. “We have a to walk/run had already cently during the Highlocal. Over the past two sliding fee scale for pacontributed to the team way 25 Yard Sale. years, the local Komen tients, but some of them fundraiser.

“I’ve known about board has handed out a still could not afford The sophomore group Komen for years,” said total of $300,000 in much-needed tests on is a little smaller, because Edwards. “When I was at grants to local groups their own. cutbacks reduced the the hospital, I helped and agencies. Access is “If they had not restaff at the regional clinwith Relay for Life and one of those local recipi- ceived that assistance, ics. But this year’s group - Operation Hope. ents. Edwards says the those two ladies might be 11 so far – is just as com“But when I saw how grant funds for screendead.” mitted to supporting the our patients benefited, it ing and education is So with those ladies in

Journey FROM 10A

reconstruction in March 2010 and six months of chemotherapy.

“As a nurse, I thought I knew the options,” Shana said. “It all sounded overwhelming.”

Both of the Cummings women continued working through much of Shana’s treatment, taking days off when complications set in.

Unlike her mom’s experience, there was no silence around

Shana’s breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Friends encouraged her to get a dog to help with her healing. Her co-workers threw her a “No More Chemo” party.

“People wanted to talk about,” Shana said. “I’ve been able to share my story with so many people.”

that fateful knot in the summer of 1982. It took a co-worker’s persistent nudging to get her to go to the doctor.

The fall before Shana was diagnosed, she moved back in with her mom to save money as she was working on her master’s of nursing degree.

“It’s a Holy Spirit thing,” said Shana, who was able to comWALKING TOGETHER plete her master’s degree after a The Cummings ladies see mo- year’s break. ments of serendipity in their “We were able to get everyjourneys beyond being diagthing settled before she was dinosed the same month. agnosed,” Terri said.

Terri didn’t immediately go to Christmas remains a tough the doctor when she noticed time for the Cummings family,

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‘If it wasn’t for the Komen grants, two of our patients might not be here today.’

Phil Edwards

nurse manager for the Access Family Health Services clinics in Tupelo and Houlka mind, Edwards started recruiting a race team last year. The then 59year-old nurse thought he was in good enough shape and tried to run the 3.1-mile course that starts and ends in downtown Tupelo.

“It nearly killed me,” said Edwards.

He plans on walking this year. And next year.

And the next.

Edwards wants the team to continue, not just as a fundraiser, but also for the camaraderie it creates among employees.

“It’s fun and it brings a team spirit back into the work environment,” said Edwards. william.moore@journalinc.com

especially Terri. Not only were she and Shana diagnosed around Christmas, Terri’s mom went through amputation surgery one Christmas and died during another holiday season.

“After Thanksgiving, I’m done until Valentine’s Day,” Terri said.

But they remain thankful, and work to find the humor in their breast cancer journeys.

“We joke that we only have one real boob between us,” Terri said.

“You’ve got to laugh about it,” Shana added. michaela.morris@journalinc.com

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New Albany Gazette

newalbanygazette.com

Wednesday, October 14, 2015 7A

J. Lynn West

Editor

Perhaps the most emotional and uplifting event during Breast Cancer Awareness Month each October in New Albany is the luncheon sponsored by Baptist Memorial HospitalUnion County.

Breast cancer survivors are honored and victims remembered along with what radiologist Dr. Justin Lohmeier describes as “testimony” from survivors describing their experiences.

One of the speakers this year was elementary school teacher Robin Merritt, wife of administrator and coach Robert Merritt.

Nurse Practitioner Kim Hardin, who is a cancer survivor as well as on the staff of the Jones Clinic and who has become the stalwart supporter for many cancer sufferers, said when she thinks of Merritt she thinks of resilience, perseverance and never quitting.

“She had issues with her therapy, she was very ill, but she kept coming back, saying ‘treat me,’” Hardin said.

“She is a beautiful example of grace under fire.”

And, Hardin added, she makes the very best Paula Deen gooey butter cake in the whole world.

Merritt’s experience with cancer is fairly recent.

“I was here at the lunch last year,” she said. “It was right before the cancer.”

Shortly after attending the event she found a lump.

Merritt had been at Vanderbilt University with her

brother who was getting stem cell therapy and that was pretty well consuming her life at the time.

When she did find a lump, she was reluctant to shift concern from her brother.

“The doctor said it shouldn’t be cancer. It was not supposed to be,” she said.

“I knew if it was cancer I wanted to come home,” she said, and that’s what she did.

“I didn’t say ‘why me’ but more ‘why not me,’” Merritt said. She decided, “If this is my plan, use it and use it well.”

Although Merritt’s mother died in her 40s from heart disease, she did not have a family history of cancer.

Still, that is what it was.

“When I was diagnosed I sent Robert a one-word text: Cancer,” she said.

Merritt decided to stay at school. “I told my boys but not my daughter who was away for training,” she said.

“When I told my kids was the first time I cried.”

She described the first five days after the diagnosis as a whirlwind, with a lot of emotion until she finally said, “I need normal.”

Merritt said the school staff and students were enormously supportive. One day, before her surgery, 1,200 kids wore pink at school, “But my daughter never found out,” she said. Finally, “I sent a text saying ‘both breasts removed, started chemo.’”

It turned out the daughter did not make a big deal out

J. Lynn West/Gazette Staff

Robin Merritt makes a point at the Baptist Memorial Hospital’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon. of the cancer, but it perhaps indirectly helped save her own life, Merritt said.

“This year she had a mole under her arm. Another attendant saw it and said she needed to be seen,” Merritt said.

The mole was diagnosed as Stage II melanoma. “She had surgery, is not doing chemo, is OK,” Merritt said.

Another thing that helped Merritt feel good about her daughter is that she had a genetic test done and learned that the daughter was not in danger of getting

breast cancer from a hereditary standpoint.

As it turned out, Merritt’s first speech about her cancer was not at Wednesday’s luncheon; it was at a prison.

“I didn’t know whether it would be with inmates or employees,” she said, having felt some apprehension.

But it didn’t matter. “Whichever it was, they still needed to know (about cancer).”

Merritt took her hairdresser along for support and negotiated the razor wire, pat-downs and very extensive body searches. “I told them they might notice

I was missing a couple of body parts,” she said, always trying to keep some humor about the situation.

She found she would be talking to prison employees, was given a lovely lunch and talked well beyond her allotted 20 minutes. “When you’re in the teaching business, you know when you are losing your audience,” she said, and apparently was not losing this one. The only problem was when her friend the hairdresser began loudly asking for a real knife instead of the ineffective plastic one she had been given. “Imagine demanding that you want a knife in the middle of a prison.”

Merritt said there have been so many coincidences since her cancer. “I think a coincidence is a miracle where God remains anonymous,” she said.

Her hair should have been out by the second week of chemo, but for some reason it wasn’t. She said she was at the jewelry store one day where Renaldo was displaying and he showed her a beautifully designed bracelet he had created for a friend who had cancer.

“He said he knew God wanted him to give me the bracelet,” she said, and Merritt told him, “This will knock your socks off. I just started my second week of chemo.”

When she got home her

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hair started coming out all that night. “But there was no way he cold have known I had cancer,” she said.

“I looked like a dog with the mange, so I called my hairdresser and she did a crew cut,” Merritt said. She also trimmed a cancer ribbon design on the back of her head. “It turned into a black tattoo.”

“I tried to have fun, be light-hearted about it,” he said.

“I think God puts people where they need to be when they need to be,” Merritt said. “Kim (Hardin) is in the right job. She’s been there.”

Merritt’s best advice: “Every day get up and get dressed.”

Also, accept help from the nurses and, in her case, the kids.

“I couldn’t have gotten better care in the world,” she said. “The support beats it all.”

Merritt told the group she had had a mammogram a month ago and now everything was clear.

She again urged women to do mammograms and self-exams, noting that she discovered her own lump just by feeling, and not a regular exam.

“Get naked and get somebody to look at you. All over,” she said. “You know your body. Don’t be embarrassed. Get it checked.”

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Merrit an example of resilience, perserverance

Wednesday, October, 14, 2015 ◆ CHICKASAW JOURNAL ◆ 9A

Below are some facts about the American Cancer Society and breast cancer. We encourage you to send them to friends and family. These facts demonstrate the work the American Cancer Society has accomplished with other organizations and remind us that together we can create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays!

MAKING STRIDES The American Cancer Society Making Strides events raise funds and awareness to fight breast cancer and provides hope to people facing the disease. With each step, you’ll help the American Cancer Society save lives. To learn more about how you can help create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays, visit cancer.org/stridesonline or call 1-800-227-2345.

RAISING DOLLARS Since 1993, nearly 6 million walkers have raised more than $400 million through the American Cancer Society Making Strides events. In 2009 alone, nearly 700,000 walkers across the country collected more than $60 million to help create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays.

RESEARCH One of the ways the American Cancer Society is saving lives is by finding cures through groundbreaking research.

The Society invests more in breast cancer research than in any other cancer type. Society-funded research has led to the discovery of lifesaving breast cancer treatments, including Tamoxifen and Herceptin.

MAMMOGRAM Attention, ladies! The best defense against breast cancer is finding it early. If you are 40 or older, get a mammogram and a breast exam by a doctor or nurse every year, and always report any breast changes to your doctor without delay. Sign up for a free email mammogram reminder at cancer.org/MammogramReminder and encourage the women you love to do the same.

Medically underserved have options,too

By Floyd Ingram

Who Is Eligible?

Chickasaw Journal

HOUSTON – Ignoring breast cancer is not a cure.

Early detection and treatment is the key to beating breast cancer, yet many women won’t seek treatment out of ignorance, financial concerns or the real fear they will be told they have cancer.

“Being told that you have breast cancer is not the end,” said Louisa Denson , three-time breast cancer survivor and Director of Women’s Health for the Mississippi State Department of Health. “If it is caught early there is a 95-percent chance it can be cured. I’m living proof.”

Denson said the state has tons of information women can use to learn about breast cancer and they also have programs to financially help those who suspect they have breast cancer.

“All women should do a monthly breast exam and have their physician conduct a clinical exam annually,” said Denson. “The Mississippi Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program strives for early detec-

TARGET POPULATION: • Uninsured, under-insured, medically underserved, minority and elderly women.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: • No Medicaid/Insurance/Medicare or other method of reimbursement.

• Women 40-49 qualify for mammograms while funds are available.

• Must be 50-64 years of age for mammogram.

SERVICES: • Screening or diagnostic mammograms for women 50 years of age and older.

• Ultrasound or fine needle aspiration of the breast and breast biopsy, if indicated.

• Follow-up and referral for abnormal mammograms.

• Educational programs for professional and public.

tion in those women at highest risk.”

Typically those at highest risk are the uninsured, the medically underserved, minorities and elderly women.

And that is where local health departments and the Mississippi State Department of Health come in.

With federal and matching funds select health department clinics, community health centers and private providers offer their services to uninsured women be-

tween the ages of 40 and 64.

Mammography screening is available through contracted providers to uninsured women between 50 and 54 year of ages. Women 40 to 49 are eligible for screening mammograms when special funding is available.

Special exceptions are available for those women between the ages of 18 and 39, but they must receive prior approval “If they meet the criteria we can help them get Med-

icaid assistance,” said Denson. “But I can’t stress how important it is to get that checkup, find out what you are up against and then contact us.”

Denson also pointed out four out of five lumps are benign or not cancerous, but that can only be determined by a doctor.

Some private insurance companies help pay for mammograms, said Denson. Medicare will pay part for the cost of a screening mammogram every two years for women 65 and older. She said financial assistance can often be found when it is available for those who qualify and are without insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

Denson again said finding a lump is not the end and women need to be aggressive in screening themselves and seeking treatment.

“You have to have the right attitude to beat this disease,” said Denson. “A positive attitude, treatment and support of family and friends can help you beat breast cancer.”

For more information about breast cancer screening call 601-576-7466.

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During the month of October, Trace Regional Hospital is offering a breast screening mammogram for $75.00 cash.

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Breast Cancer Facts & Resources

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015

itawambatimes.com

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8A THE ITAWAMBA COUNTY TIMES ■ FULTON, MISSISSIPPI

itawambatimes.com WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015

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THE ITAWAMBA COUNTY TIMES ■ FULTON, MISSISSIPPI

9A

Monroe Journal

MONTH EVENTS

Aberdeen

Oct. 16, Pioneer Community Hospital individual departments' cowboy hat judging.The hats will be used as centerpieces at the annual Ladies Pink Luncheon.

Oct. 23, Pioneer Community Hospital bake sale in the hospital lobby put on by the MAC Committee Oct. 24, Daniel Baptist Church will host a cancer walk beginning at 9 a.m. at the Aberdeen Park and Recreation building and ending at City Hall.

Oct. 28, Pioneer Community Hospital's Paint the Hospital Pink luncheon at First United Methodist Church at noon. For more information, 369-2455.

Oct. 30, Pioneer Community Hospital's drawing for a Scentsy pot. Everyone who purchases an "In Memory of" or "In Honor of" card goes into the drawing.

Amory

Merit Health Gilmore Memorial will be inviting the public to decorate with pink bows, wreaths, pumpkins and other items throughout October in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

Hamilton

Oct. 23, Pregame breast cancer awareness ceremony at Hamilton High School.

Giving back to the community part of Carter’s cure to cancer

BY RAY VAN DUSEN Monroe Journal

HAMILTON – It’s hard not to get a smile out of Mary Carter. No matter the ways breast cancer has tested her, she keeps saying ‘yes’ to pretty much any favor asked, volunteering in her community and reminding herself that the Lord kept her here for a purpose. ”Cancer will get you everytime when you say ‘Woe is me.’ You’ve got to be a fighter,” Carter said.

In October 1996, she lost her youngest daughter to breast cancer, and she has also lost her youngest sister to the disease as well. With her daughter, who was 40 when she lost her life after a three-year fight, her breast cancer metastasized.

“She was at Vanderbilt, and we went so many times, they just stopped pulling us over for speeding on the Trace because they knew who we are,” Carter said.

Throughout her daughter’s fight with breast cancer, Carter stuck by her side, and learned that a strong support system is vital for anyone diagnosed with the disease.

Just a few months after saying goodbye to her daughter, Carter went in for her yearly mammogram and got the news that she had breast cancer herself in her left breast, which she lost.

After surgery, she endured chemotherapy and radiation for a year and kept her normal routine of an annual mammogram. Unfortunately, she had another case of breast cancer in her right breast, and she is in her third year of being a survivor from the latest case.

“It’s been in my family, and it’s been working on me, but the Lord has gotten me through. He still has a purpose for me.”

That purpose could be Carter’s involvement in the community. She is the District 3 representative for Keep Monroe County Beautiful. She volunteers with Loving Hands and Wo o d m e n L i f e .

Additionally, whatever food need that may arise through the Hamilton Church of Christ, she is the go-to contact.

She’s been with WoodmenLife since 1968 and just like with her extracurricular church duties, she’s there for

We want to know your story!

Survivors Supporters Organizations Experts It’s likely you’ve had a run-in with breast cancer.

We want to create a community of encouragement and support for all who deal with the disease.

Tell your story at monroecountyjournal.com/pinkproject.

any need that arises in the organization.

The Jason Pugh Memorial Park behind the Hamilton Community Center is her pet project to keep clean and beautiful through Keep Monroe County Beautiful, and she even takes it upon herself to put a seasonappropriate ribbon on a dwarf cypress potted at the entrance of the Hamilton Post Office before holidays and certain times of the year.

This month’s ribbon is pink to further promote breast cancer awareness.

After her first bout with breast cancer, Carter found it difficult to give back. She said the first five years of recovery was a draining time.

“Feeling like I usually do with volunteering helps like a cure. It’s something I can do to give back for other people, and that makes me feel good,” Carter said.

Her advice to others going through breast cancer is to have someone as a support system.

“I had a sister-in-law who came to stay with me the first time. You

RAY VAN DUSEN/BUY AT PHOTOS.MONROECOUNTYJOURNAL.COM

Mary Carter of Hamilton admires a pot of her pink geraniums she has on her front porch. The two-time breast cancer survivor is wellknown for community involvement, especially her ties with beautification. need somebody to support you and tell you it’s going to be all right and pull you through. Having just lost my daughter, they were still here to support me,” Carter said.

She also stresses the importance of mammograms.

“Both times, mine were caught with a mammogram. I’m an example that you can be

a double mastectomy survivor and still have a positive outlook on life,” Carter said.

As far as positive comments others shared of her community spirit and happy attitude, she may have figured out her purpose for beating breast cancer.

“Maybe that’s God’s purpose. To bring a little sunshine to others.”

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BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

Wednesday, October 14, 2015, Page 11A

Breast cancer screening can save lives For the Monroe Journal

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is the perfect time to discuss the importance of mammography.

Because breast cancer is often detectable in its early stages when there’s a good chance for a cure, screening is essential to early detection. Most significantly, mammography can identify tumors even before they can be felt.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after nonmelanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. In 2012 (the most recent year numbers are available), 224,147 women in the United States were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 41,150 women died from the disease.

The American Cancer Society recommends women to have yearly mammograms starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health. If a woman is at high risk for developing breast cancer, her doctor may rec-

ommend screening at a younger age, along with additional imaging studies.

Talk with your doctor about your history and whether you should have other tests or start testing at an earlier age.

Merit Health Gilmore Memorial invites the community to help “Paint the Town Pink” for breast cancer awareness month.

Hospital officials encourage the community to put out pink bows, wreaths, pumpkins, flags, etc. as a reminder to get screened early. Gilmore, with a partnership with Amory Main Street, is placing pink bows downtown in awareness for the month of October and to help kick off the “Paint the Town Pink” initiative.

The Women’s Center at Merit Health Gilmore Memorial is the only hospital in Monroe County that provides breast cancer screening services. Gilmore has illuminated the hospital in pink lights during the month of October for breast cancer awareness. Bows and flags are planned for various areas of the hospital campus.

ALICE ORTIZ/BUY AT PHOTOS.MONROECOUNTYJOURNAL.COM

Breast cancer survivor Beth May of Amory enjoys a laugh with Amory Surgeon Dr. Hoat Hoang before he presents a seminar on mammograms at Merit Health Gilmore Memorial.

Hoang presents seminar about mammograms

BY ALICE ORTIZ

Monroe Journal

AMORY – Amory surgeon Dr. Hoat Hoang presented a seminar at Merit Gilmore Memorial Hospital Oct. 5 entitled “Mammograms and You.” “This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.

Some of you are breast cancer survivors, some are going through it now,” said Hoang. “I want you to know that you inspire and motivate me.”

Hoang said he has been a surgeon for 20 years. He asked the group to take the message of the seminar and spread it to the community.

Hoang gave the history of mammograms and that mammograms had gone from analog to the new digital mammogram.

Also included in his slide presentation were samples of what a normal breast looked like on the exam and what a breast with lesions looked like.

“Who should get mammograms? Anyone 40 and over should get them annually, especially if there is a family history or a mother who has had breast cancer,” Hoang said. “It is easy to schedule a mammogram.

It's fast, and it's never too late to get one. The whole process take about 20 minutes.”

Taking care of breast cancer has changed so much over the years. The survival rates are now higher than the in past, even for latter Stage 4 diagnoses.

“The earlier you come in, the better it is. I still have Stage 4 patients coming to see me,” Hoang said.

He said how a person approaches his or her cancer is important. Self-examination is important as well.

Mammograms are a great tool in the fight for breast cancer, but are not 100 percent accurate. He also stated that fibrocystic disease does not increase a person's chances for breast cancer.

Screening and diagnostic mammography

A conventional screening mammogram is a low-dose X-ray test that creates images of breast tissue that doctors can check for lesions or other abnormalities. The X-ray images make it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt and can find tiny deposits of calcium called microcalcifications that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer.

A mammogram used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of the disease is called a diagnostic mammogram. Besides a lump, signs of breast cancer can include breast pain, thickening of the skin of the breast, nipple discharge or a change in breast size or shape; however, these signs may also be signs of benign or non-cancerous breast conditions.

Digital mammography

At the Women’s Center at Merit Health Gilmore Memorial, women who undergo routine mammograms also have up-to-date diagnostic technology

available with digital mammography. The center will have extended hours for mammograms on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 5-7 p.m. No appointment is needed for these special times, just bring your mammogram orders.

While digital imaging feels almost identical to conventional mammography, its benefits are a shorter exam time than traditional mammograms and there's less chance that patients will be called back for repeat exams.

Digital images tend to provide doctors with better visibility of the breast, chest wall and dense breast tissue. Through computeraided technology, radiologists are able to enhance certain areas of the digital images to get a more precise picture of a patient’s condition. The digital images can also be stored electronically, and later retrieved to share with other doctors if needed in the future.

Through the Affordable Care Act, all Marketplace health plans and many

other private plans must cover breast cancer mammography screenings every one to two years for women older than 40 without charging a co-payment or co-insurance. Women should contact their mammography facility or health insurance company for confirmation. In addition, Medicare pays for annual screening mammograms for all female Medicare beneficiaries age 40 or older.

Visit www.MeritHealthGilmore/breasthealthcenter.com to learn more about breast screening options.

For more information on various breast diseases and conditions, the anatomy of breasts, other screening tools and more, visit www.MeritHealthGilmore.c om, choose the “Health Resources” tab and type “Breast Health” in the search box.

Remember that this information is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor, but rather to increase awareness and help equip patients with information to facilitate conversations with their physician.

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Monroe Journal

Page 12A, Wednesday, October 14, 2015

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

Wanda Barbour Dent lives to the fullest every day

BY JEFF ROBERSON OXFORD CITIZEN

Wanda Barbour Dent has been around the medical profession all her adult life.

She did all the right things as far as taking precautions concerning breast cancer such as annual medical testing and self-testing.

Then one day, she received some unbelievable news after an exam. As is likely the case with nearly all those who get that call, she just didn’t think it could be true.

“Last year I had my routine physical and my pap smear and a screening mammogram,” said Dent, who is a nurse navigator for the Baptist Cancer Center in Oxford. “The women’s health nurse practitioner that I see, Katherine Elliott at Internal Medicine, called me and said there was something suspicious on my mammogram.

“I got the call and I was shocked. She said,“We need to do a biopsy.’ They called me to schedule it, and I said, ‘Well, I’ve got this and this and this to do, and maybe in three or four weeks I can do it.’ They were like, ‘No, let’s go ahead and get it done.’ So

I was thinking it might be a little more to it than I thought. It did come back suspicious for infiltrating ductal carcinoma. It is the most common of all breast cancers. About 70 and 80 percent are this.”

Dent knows a whole lot about the medical field for having been in it for so long.

But she admits she didn’t know all that much about breast cancer.

“I had been a nurse for 42 years. I had worked for Baptist for 37 years in various capacities and in different hospitals. We have two nurse navigators here. The other is Allen Linton. She has 10 years here as a navigator. She is my mentor, but she is also my navigator.

“When my biopsy came back positive, I actually called her before I called my husband, because I wanted to be able to talk to her about it. I read all the time, but I knew very little then about breast cancer. Allen helped me navigate through the system as a patient. She didn’t assume that just because I was a nurse I would know the things I needed to know.”

Then it was time to proceed with whatever was

Nurse Navigator Wanda Barbour Dent at work in her office at Baptist Cancer Center in Oxford. ahead, and Dent wasn’t sure exactly what that was going to be.

“So I went to see a surgeon and they did a lumpectomy and biopsy, and it came back that I had two lesions,” she said. “One was ductal carcinoma in situ, which means it hadn’t broken through the duct, and the other was infiltrating ductal, which meant it had already broken through the duct.”

Certainly her life changed at that moment, but she moved forward as she does with any challenge and faced it head on. And she

also discovered what was likely a contributing factor in her case.

“I’ve been getting annual mammograms a long time.

I have no family history. I breast fed, which lowered my risk. I had a child before 30, which lowered my risk. I exercise. I’m at a healthy weight. Obesity is a factor for breast cancer.

“But what I did which put me at risk and was my own doing, I took hormone replacement therapy and took it longer than what was recommended. I begged for it. I took it for nine years. It’s not recommended over five.

That made me at higher risk.

I was taking oral hormone therapy when I went through menopause. I did not want all those terrible hot flashes and feeling bad and mood swings. I tried doing it naturally and I was just miserable. Those hormone replacement therapies were great. But when you stay on longer than what doctors recommend, which is about five years, you can be at a higher risk for breast cancer. They can’t say that absolutely did it, but I had estrogen receptor positive cancer, so taking hormones was just like feeding my cancer.”

The results from her test meant she had a great chance at beating the cancer.

“Mine came out great. I had one positive lymph node. They took out eight because I had that one positive lymph node. I did not have to take chemotherapy. I had a mastectomy and I followed that with radiation, one breast, just my right breast. The left breast was fine. I get a mammography on that every year and I’ll do my self-testing.”

Dent and her husband,

George, have four children and a grandson between them - Taneill, who has a son, 7-year-old Isaiah, that she adopted from inner city Jackson, Mississippi; Gray, Alex, and Elena.

Dent said that while cancer isn’t something anyone would want, having it gave her a different outlook on life.

“I’m not happy I had cancer,” said Dent, who celebrated her one-year anniversary from treatment this week.” But what came out of that for me is that I don’t want to waste a minute that is not productive or is not going to help other people. I want to walk. I want to ride my bike. I want to go see my parents. I want to play with my grandson, my children.

“Also as a nurse, I just want to do something that makes a real difference in my patients. Every morning I wake up and say ‘I am so thankful to be here. I am so excited about my job.’ I try to wake up with gratitude first. If I think ‘This is going to be a tough day,' then I say, ‘It may be tough but it’s going to be good.’ And that’s the way I live my life.”

Women, and men, need to be aware of breast cancer

BY JEFF ROBERSON OXFORD CITIZEN

There has been more awareness for the prevention of breast cancer the past several years, and that is a good thing, according to Wanda Barbour Dent, a nurse navigator for Baptist Cancer Center of Oxford. Those messages need to be out there, loud and clear.

“Nationally about four out of five biopsies are negative,” said Dent, herself a breast cancer survivor. “But it’s that fifth one where we can make the difference. (Med-

ical testing) can pick it up early long before the person can feel it.

That’s why it’s so important for patients to have the mammogram every year.”

Dent has been a nurse for 42 years, and 37 of those have been with the Baptist system, mainly in Columbus for 27 years and now in Oxford since 2004.

She said there is really no reason for people not to have breast examinations, even if they are not insured.

“It’s just heartbreaking that this one thing that can make such a

life-changing difference, yet everybody still doesn’t have access to,” she said.

So she goes about the process of making people aware that they can have testing, even if they do not have insurance.

“With the mammogram programs we have now for women, our dilemma comes when we see people without health insurance who don’t know about our free mammogram program,” she said.

“We hope to touch at least a thousand people here with our outreach programs in the month of

October.”

Dent loves her job, and she loves helping make people aware of the opportunities they have to basically keep their health – if only they will take the steps necessary to do so.

“I’ll be really busy this month, but I’m so excited,” she said, obviously overjoyed with the chance to help people know more about their opportunities. “The free mammogram program here is supported in large part by the generous donations of the Ole Miss Panhellenic Council. They raised

$44,000 last year. Yes, that’s right.

Those girls raised $44,000. I don’t know how much they raised this year, but it all goes to the program for our outreach for our uninsured and underinsured folks.

“We also get finds through the Susan G. Komen grant. This year they will give us close to $12,000. I think we can do about 30 mammograms with that. There are some restrictions that we can use that for. With the money from the girls at Ole Miss, we’ve already TURN TO CANCER PAGE 11

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PAGE 10

OXFORD CITIZEN

Cancer FROM PAGE 10

done 100 of them.”

So how do people know if they qualify for a free mammogram?

"Call me. I do the screening,” Dent said. “I would love to talk to them. I will see if they qualify. We don’t do them without a physician’s order.”The phone number is 662-513-9609.

Dent’s job as a nurse navigator is multi-faceted.

“I see the breast cancer patients.

I see the ovarian cancer patients. I see any of the GYN cancers. That’s what I do. I navigate our patients.

“With breast cancer, anybody that comes through this area that has an abnormal mammogram, they come and get me, or if they have an abnormal ultrasound of the breast, they come and get me.

I meet with the patient and the radiologist who is reading the mammogram or the ultrasound. When he recommends a biopsy, then I bring the patient back in here. So we start even before cancer is diagnosed.”

Dent knows the importance of annual testing for breast cancer.

Hers was detected that way, and she understands the need for all women – and even men – to be

Nurse Navigator Allen Linton, Mammography Tech Tabitha Burk, Nurse Navigator Wanda Barbour Dent of Baptist Cancer Center of Oxford. aware of the disease.

“The two factors nobody can change is their age and their gender.You may have gender transformation, but you can’t change your genetic makeup.

“Men have breast cancer, too. If males see a lump in their breast or see nipple changes, they need to go to the physician right away and not put it off. Usually our male patients are more progressed, be-

cause they don’t have mammograms or regular checkups. I encourage men to be aware they can have breast cancer, too.”

Dent said the fact that she had cancer wasn’t the deciding factor in her wanting to work at Baptist Cancer Center.

“I had already been interested in coming to the cancer center before I was diagnosed," said Dent.

"After I was diagnosed, I knew this

PAGE 11 was where I wanted to be. After I had my radiation treatments, the position came open for this spot, and I applied. It took a while and they interviewed several people. I was so thankful they hired me. It is the most wonderful place to work.”

It’s a job that is extremely rewarding, according to Dent. It's also about the place, too.

“What I love about it is that our patients are always the center of everything we do. Sometimes in different healthcare settings it’s so hectic and we are extremely busy.

But our patients are the central focus here.

“If we have a patient here, we follow the same guidelines as M.D. Anderson or Sloan-Kettering. Now they may have some clinical trials that we don’t have, or they may see more of a certain type. But as far as the evidenced-based guidelines, we follow all the national guidelines."

As a nurse navigator, Dent says what she does is to try to help patients and their families deal with the process from the start.

“The navigators develop a rapport and relationship with our patients and their families,” she said.

“I try to be in the room for them and take notes for them.The information can be so overwhelming.

After the physician walks out, then

I talk to them and have them tell me what they understood from the conversation.

“I don’t always tell them immediately that I’ve been through (breast cancer surgery and recovery), because it’s about them and not about me. But whenever the appropriate time, and you can tell when that is, and we’re talking about something like biopsies, I can say, ‘I had one of these.’ I go through that with them when it’s appropriate.”

Dent is a motivational speaker who has presented talks all across the South. She has two topics she likes to speak on.

"One is 'Laughter is the best medicine.' The other is 'A happy heart is a healthy heart.' When people laugh and when people are really happy, they are healthier, and it’s been proven over and over.”

Wanda Barbour Dent knows every day she is in the place she needs to be, doing what she needs to be doing.

“When I got this job it was like I had been given a jewel,” she said.

“It’s busy and hectic, but when we’re with that patient, everything else stops. That patient and their family are the focus of everything.

How can they get the most out of every day? That’s the reason we’re here.”

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

Wednesday, October 21, 2014 • Pontotoc Progress • pontotoc360.com

Page 9A

STRONGER

JOIN THE FIGHT On October 9, PHS student and faculty decked themselves in pink from head to toe in order to raise breast cancer awareness not only in the school, but among the community as every attendant of the game was encouraged to join in.

“Telling the crowd to wear pink was a simple way to let everyone be involved in supporting. Some people want to get out there and support but they just don’t know how. This was a way, sort of a small step, that everyone could be involved in without getting up in front of everyone and doing something on their own. It also allowed all ages to get involved,” says senior cheerleader Ana Grace Warren. “Everyone always has a great time doing it, and it’s for a great caue. It’s just an awesome way for everyone to show they care, and helps them to realize that breast cancer is something that we need to be aware of and something that should be taken very seriously.”

The Pontotoc Pink Out was a success as always in order not only to raise awareness for breast cancer but to bring the community together a a whole.

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TOGETHER

8B • Southern Sentinel

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

A

nnual mammograms are widely recommended for women beginning at age 40.

Some estimates suggest that more than 48 million mammography screenings are performed in the United States every year.

Whether it is a woman’s first mammography or her twentieth, preparing for the appointment can ease anxiety and make the experience go more smoothly. The following are some guidelines to consider when preparing for a mammography visit.

• Choose a reputable and certified facility. Select a radiology center that is certified by the FDA, which

means it meets current standards and is safe. Many women also prefer to select a facility that is covered by their health insurance.

Plans usually allow for one mammogram screening per year.

• Time your visit. Schedule the mammogram to take place one week after your menstrual period if you have not reached menopause.

Breasts are less likely to be tender at this time. Also, schedule your visit for a time when you are not likely to feel rushed or stressed.

Early in the day works best for many.

• Dress for the occasion. Twopiece ensembles enable you to only remove your shirt and bra for the examination. A blouse that opens in

the front may be optimal. Some facilities require you to wear a paper gown for the exam.

• Watch your grooming practices.

You’ll be advised to abstain from wearing powder, perfume, deodorant, ointment, and lotions on the chest or around the area. These substances may look like an abnormalities on the mammogram image, potentially resulting in false positive diagnoses.

• Take an OTC pain medication.

Mammograms are not necessarily painful, but they can put pressure on the breasts, which creates discomfort. Breasts are compressed between a plastic plate and the imaging machine. This spreads out the tissue and helps create a clearer

picture. If your breasts are tender, medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen taken an hour before the appointment may ease discomfort.

• Expect a short visit. Mammogram appointments typically last around 30 minutes. The technician will mark any moles or birthmarks around the breasts so they can be ignored on the imaging. You’ll be asked to hold your breath as the images are taken. If the images are acceptable, you are free to go. But new images may be needed in some instances.

Mammograms are now a routine part of women’s preventative health care. The procedure is simple and appointments are quick and relatively painless.

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Document: B008RIP101415.pdf;Page: 1;Format:(254.00 x 520.70 mm);Plate: Composite;Date: Oct 13, 2015 10:53:16;JPC 72 DPI

Preparing for your mammography visit