Bucks County Herald – November 23, 2006

Pam Brown Breast Cancer St Lukes

Dear Friends,

Good morning. Mighty Betsy Meredith gave me a heads up about a community volunteer who sponsored a reception to battle breast cancer. Ten days ago, MB attended a “Pink Rose Celebration” which attracted 70 women to join the fight. Her friend, Pam Brown, was the hostess of the event at the Brick Tavern Inn. Pink is the designated color for breast cancer.

The “Pink Rose Celebration” raised awareness and money for the new GE Healthcare Digital Mammography system at St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital. “We exceeded expectations,” Deborah Willey told me. She’s the Director of Development at the hospital. “The women raised nearly $10,000. It was an exciting evening.”

Willey was searching for community volunteers to host events for breast cancer awareness. Brown was the first to respond. Willey reported that another “Pink Rose Celebration” was held in a private home last Sunday. If you want to become involved with “Pink Rose,” call Willey at 215-538-4511.

Digital mammography is not cheap. The new machine at St. Luke’s Quakertown Hospital cost $350,000. The hospital now has two on site.

I met with Jan Wiend, Amy Gugger, and Willey for some background. Wiend is the manager of the radiology department and Gugger directs marketing and communications. “Digital mammography produces minimal radiation and gives the most detailed images,” Wiend began.

Breast cancer statistics are startling. The American Cancer Society reports that more than 210,000 American women will experience invasive breast cancer in 2006 and 41,000 will die this year. Gugger estimates that there are 125 new cases of breast cancer each year in the six municipalities comprising the Quakertown school district.

Wiend joined Willey and Dr. Joseph Russo at the “Pink Rose” gathering at the Brick Tavern. Wiend told me that Quakertown Hospital was the first facility to become 100 percent digital in the St. Luke’s network. The goal of all St. Luke’s hospitals is to be fully digital by next June.

Russo is the section chief of women’s imagery for St. Luke’s. Digital mammography is safer to use and produces images, which are more thorough, he explained. “Digital technology provides images with better visibility of the breast, particularly near the skin line, the chest wall and in women with dense breast tissue,” Russo wrote in a St. Luke’s press release

In order to be 100 percent certain in the check for breast cancer, the radiation department also produces Computer Aided Detection (CAD), which becomes a second set of eyes.

“With digital mammograms and CAD, less women are called back for a second look,” Wiend continued.

In addition, she noted that the Quakertown hospital has a Women’s Imaging Center, which offers mammography, ultra sound, and Dexa Scan (bone density scans for osteoporosis). She advises women age 35 to 40 to get their first mammogram in order to establish a base line. “And they should have one each year thereafter,” Wiend added. “Risk increases with age.”

Why are there so many women who don’t get mammograms, I wondered? “Women are care givers,” Wiend answered, “but they don’t take care of themselves. That’s the last [medical] appointment a woman makes. They put it [mammograms] off because they’re making sure that everyone else in the family is taken care of first.”

The bottom line is that breast cancer strikes one in 10 American women. So early detection is crucial. Early discovery and aggressive treatment can restore a woman to perfect health. Women have to insist upon being equal to the men and children in their lives…especially when it comes to their health.

The second thing that all of us need to do is to raise awareness about breast cancer. That’s why “Pink Rose” celebrations are so important. To spread the word, more volunteers like Pam Brown are needed to host events.

“We’re indebted to Pam’s generosity,” Willey concluded.

Absolutely, I’d add.

Sincerely,

Charles Meredith