University of Maryland Shore Regional Health will promote October as Breast Cancer Awareness month with various activities throughout the month, all aimed at increasing awareness of the disease and the services available for prevention and treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer, taking the lives of approximately 40,000 women annually.
“October is a great time to remind people about the importance of prevention and education when it comes to their breast health,” says Roberta Lilly, MD, Medical Director for Shore Regional Breast Center. “Regular mammography screening can help lower breast cancer mortality by finding breast cancer early, when the chance of successful treatment is best.”’
Some of the planned activities include the following:
- Pink Ribbon Hanging: To kick off the activities surrounding Breast Cancer Awareness Month, staff and volunteers from UM Shore Regional Breast Center will hang pink ribbons in honor of those patients who were treated by the Breast Center in the past year. These ribbons will be hung on the large tree in the front circle at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton. A public ribbon ceremony will be held on Friday, September 27 at 11am. Once adorned with these ribbons, the tree will serve as a month-long reminder of the friends, neighbors and loved ones whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. This tree will be lit with pink lights throughout the month.
- Tree of Hope: To honor a loved one diagnosed with breast cancer, members of the public may come to the UM Shore Regional Breast Center and hang a pink ribbon on the Tree of Hope. The ribbons have space to write a loved one’s name or message and can be done in honor or remembrance. Visitors may come to the Tree of Hope Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm.
- Open House and Cancer Survivor Art Gallery Opening: The UM Shore Regional Breast Center art gallery will mark its fourth anniversary with an exhibit that features the art of breast and cancer survivors. The cancer survivor art exhibit opens on Friday, October 4 at the Breast Center. The public is invited to the grand opening of the exhibit, from 4-6 p.m. The exhibit will continue through the end of the year. The public is invited to attend an Open House, 3-4pm, to tour UM Shore Regional Breast Center and meet the staff.
- Grand Opening, The Eleanor and Ethel Leh Women’s Center, UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown: Capping off a busy month of breast cancer awareness activities on October 31 will be the long-awaited opening of The Eleanor and Ethel Leh Women’s Center at UMSMC at Chestertown. The Eleanor and Ethel Leh Women’s Center is funded by a generous bequest by Eleanor and Ethel Leh, and an extensive community grassroots campaign led by UMSMC at Chestertown employees. The Center features a advanced diagnostic equipment, including a 3-D digital mammography machine with tomosynthesis, which is the latest technology available in breast imaging technology.
UM Shore Regional Health provides a full array of diagnostic services, including mammography, ultrasound, breast MRI and biopsies along with a survivorship program, and other resources for patients and their family members. For more information about breast services visit www.shorehealth.org.
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