October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month and Lehman Catholic High School, along with the support of the community, wanted to make a difference. The Lehman cheerleading squad held their 1st Annual “Cavs 4 A Cure” drive to raise money for Wilson Memorial Hospital’s Francis Women’s Center.
The cheerleaders raised $400 by selling pink “Cavs 4 A Cure” t-shirts at a recent high school football game. The funds raised were donated to the Wilson Memorial Hospital Foundation to be used to purchase women’s health planners for the patients of the Francis Women’s Center. “The donation aided in the purchase of 500 health planners that we provide to patients during the month of October,” said Tony Linkmeyer, director of the Francis Women’s Center. “The health information guide offers information not only on breast cancer prevention and detection, but other women’s health guidelines and resources.” Every female patient that visits the Francis Women’s Center during the month of October receives a complimentary planner.
Melissa Safreed, cheerleading advisor at Lehman Catholic, along with the cheerleaders wanted to raise awareness about breast cancer, yet at the same time raise funds to help support the women in the community. “I contacted Wilson Memorial Hospital about partnering with them on this project and we agreed that The Francis Women’s Center at Wilson Memorial was the perfect fit for our mission,” said Safreed. “We wanted to support a local organization that would directly impact the women in our community.”
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women, exceeded only by lung cancer. Statistics demonstrate that one in eight women will develop breast cancer sometime in her life. The stage at which breast cancer is detected influences a woman’s survival. If detected early, the five-year survival rate is 97%.
The Francis Women’s Center offers women the latest in technology for diagnostic testing including digital mammography for breast cancer detection. With digital mammography come many benefits. The images are clearer and allow the radiologist to magnify specific areas of the image and adjust the contrast so abnormalities are easier to see. This results in earlier diagnoses and lesions are often caught when they are still confined to the breast and not spreading to other parts of the body. Earlier detection means higher success rates in treating cancer.
To supplement this enhanced technology, Wilson Memorial also offers digital Computer-Aided Detection (CAD). CAD highlights characteristics commonly associated with breast cancer and provides a “second read” of the mammograms by a computer. When activated, it flags abnormalities to help the radiologist detect early breast cancer. CAD is, in essence, a second set of eyes to support and enhance the radiologist’s judgment.
“Thanks to the continual support from our community, we are able to offer our patients the latest technology for breast cancer detection,” said Linkmeyer. “Each and every patient at the Francis Women’s Center receives personalized care designed to meet her individual needs. Our staff is highly trained and our equipment is state-of-the art,” he added. “We are committed to providing exceptional care to the women in the community.”
For more information on the Francis Women’s Center, call (937) 498-5533. For information about making a donation to the hospital, call the Wilson Foundation at (937) 498-5540 or visit our website.