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October 9, 2013
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October 9, 2013
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and local hospitals, police departments, fire departments, businesses and schools are bringing attention to a disease that takes the lives of 40,000 women each year in the United States.
Thibodaux Police Department and Thibodaux Regional Medical Center have partnered for what is likely the boldest way, locally, to bring attention to the deadly disease.
“I hope the reaction to the car is awesome,” said police Chief Scott Silverii as staff from his department, the hospital and pink-jersey clad baseball players from Nicholls State University removed the pink cover from a new pink ribbon-accented patrol unit. “This car will help raise awareness. We may have trouble, though, convincing people who get pulled over by this car that it is a legit traffic stop.”
Silverii was joined by TRMC CEO Greg Stock, Thibodaux Mayor Tommy Eschete and TRMC Cancer Center Director Monica Sanchez. About 200 people attended the event.
“I see shirts that say ‘Big or small, save them all’ and ‘Save the ta-tas,’” Silverii said. “Save the woman, not just the ta-tas. This car is a legacy to Thibodaux Police Department’s commitment to save ta-tas and women.
“We are blessed with two leaders, Tommy and Greg. It’s great to be part of that team.”
Sanchez spoke of the hospital’s year-round commitment to raising awareness about breast cancer.
“We talked to over 500 high school students in the last few weeks about breast health and awareness,” she said. “One in eight women will be diagnosed in a lifetime. There are 2.9 million survivors in the United States and that number rises every day. That is the reason why Thibodaux Regional Medical Center pursues excellence at our cancer center.”
“In 1990, we did 600 mammograms (a year), and now we do 10,000,” Stock said. “We are not where we want to be yet, but we are doing great. Thibodaux Regional Medical Center treats five times more cancer patients than any other hospital in the region.”
“Breast cancer has touched many lives,” Eschete said. “I lost my sister at 47. That’s way too young to lose someone at that age. We need to make breast cancer awareness a daily thing. I hope one day we can celebrate an end, that we’ve conquered the disease.”
In addition to partnering with TPD for the breast cancer police vehicle, TRMC will serve as the local presenting sponsor for the Susan G. Komen Bayou Region Race for the Cure on Oct. 19 in Thibodaux. The hospital’s cancer center will also have breast cancer information tables at several Tri-parish high school footballs games throughout the month and at the NSU game on Oct. 26.
Terrebonne General Medical Center’s Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Houma will also host breast cancer awareness events throughout the month, including the Geaux Pink Stroll at Southland Mall on Oct. 26. The center will also host free breast cancer screenings at the Walmart in Raceland on Oct. 26 and at Rouse’s on East Park in Houma Oct. 29. Appointments are needed for the screenings, and those interested may call 1-888-616-4687 to make an appointment.
“The screening at Rouses is sponsored by Dr. Sarah Haydel and her daughter Brook,” said Amy Ponson director of development for MBPCC. “Ladies will have a clinical breast exam and mammogram. We hope to screen 40 ladies at each screening.
“Louisiana is number one in the nation for breast cancer mortality rates. We need to fight that with early detection. The sooner it is detected, the more positive the outcome.”
The screenings are just one of the many events hosted through the center’s Geaux Pink campaign, and 100 percent of the benefits from any of the events will be used for cancer screening and programs and patient support, like travel and medical expenses.
“We are also encouraging schools, businesses and individuals to Geaux Pink,” Ponson said. “We have 55 community members who will also be hosting events like dress down pink days and Geaux Pink football games.
“We are also encouraging our employees to wear pink on Oct. 18 and to get creative to raise awareness.”
For a list of the center’s monthly, weekly and daily breast cancer awareness events, visit www.marybird.org/tgmc.
Ochsner St. Anne in Raceland will host a free Women’s Health Expo from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 24. Free mammogram screenings will be offered for qualifying women who are under-insured or have no insurance.
In addition to mammograms, free health screenings will be given for: cholesterol testing; blood glucose; blood pressure; body mass index calculations; bone density for women over 40; flu vaccines ages 18 and up and skin cancer screening.
The event will also feature 4-D Ultrasound Education and a chance to win a 4D Ultrasound (for current Ochsner OB/GYN patients only), digital mammography education, nutritional tips, healthy cooking demos and door prizes.
For more information, visit www.ochsner.org/stanne or call Mae Hitt at (985) 537-8350.
To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month, employees at Teche Regional Medical Center in Morgan City wore pink shirts on Oct. 1 and will wear them each Friday during the month. The hospital will also offer extended mammogram hours throughout the month. Teche Regional is also a sponsor of the Morgan City Ladies Night Out event, which will be hosted Nov. 14. Proceeds the event will be used to pay for free mammograms for local women and wigs and prosthetics for local breast cancer patients.
Firefighters from Bayou Cane Fire Department will also wear their pink breast cancer awareness T-shirts all month long.
“Breast Cancer has touched my life personally,” said BCFD Chief Ken Himel in a printed statement. “My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago. She is fortunate to be a survivor when so many others weren’t. Because of having seen this disease’s effect on my family, I fully support our department’s efforts to help fight the fight.”
This is the second year BCFD will show its support via pink fire department shirts, and the Bayou Cane Professional Firefighter’s Association will sell the shirts to raise money to continue the fight against breast cancer. Shirts are $20 each and can be purchased at BCFD Central Station or from any member of the firefighter’s association.
One of the many breast cancer survivors in the Tri-parish area is Janabeth “J.B.” Daigle, owner of Le Bijou Salon and Spa in Houma. Daigle was diagnosed with breast cancer last September after feeling a lump in one of her breasts during a self-exam the previous month.
“I felt a lump, went in for a mammogram and it didn’t show up,” Daigle said. “You start to write it off as dense tissue, but something starts to feel different. The doctors thought it was a knot from a bruise. The next step was an ultrasound, and that showed something suspicious. Then I had a biopsy. It’s scary that it did not show in mammograms. Those self-exams really matter.”
Daigle was soon diagnosed with infiltrative ductal carcinoma, which begins in the breast’s milk ducts and can spread to the surrounding tissue.
“I did lots of self-research and education to learn about the whole can of worms,” she said. “I had a common form of cancer. When you are told you have breast cancer, it is not a death sentence, but you can’t do it all alone. You have to allow people to help you. You can’t be stubborn and independent. It’s ok to get help. I am so blessed to have great friends. The hardest thing was for me to learn to be a receiver. I had always been the giver.
“Learn as much as you can, speak to your doctor as much as you can. Let him or her know how you feel. Stay active. Don’t let life stop. Go on a trip if you can, even if the timing is not great.”
Daigle followed her own advice on taking a trip when she attended an industry hair show in Las Vegas.
“My doctors postponed my last treatment so I could attend a hair show,” Daigle said. “It’s a big thing to be invited, and I didn’t want to miss it. I got up on stage and said, ‘I bet you are wondering what someone with no hair is going to tell you about doing hair.’
“I wondered if I lost my creativity. I didn’t trust that I could still be creative, but no matter what I do, my talent is in my hands.”
After being treated locally with radiation and chemotherapy and undergoing a mastectomy, Daigle is now cancer-free and undergoing reconstructive surgery.
“I wanted to cut it all out,” she said. “I chose to have reconstructive surgery. It is painful, but I am glad I did it.”
As a survivor, Daigle helps raise awareness in several different ways, including serving on the board and advisory council at MBPCC as well as participating in a double blind trial for NuVax, a cancer vaccine, at the center’s Baton Rouge location. The treatment is designed to reduce the risk of reoccurrence in breast cancer patients.
“I don’t know if I’m in the test or control group, but I hope that by participating in study, I will be able to help someone else beat the disease,” Daigle said. “With the trial, I get scans on regular basis, so I will know quickly if it comes back.”
Daigle said she would like to see even more local resources for breast cancer patients, and the survivor sang the praises of the resources available at MBPCC.
“I just went to a phenomenal nutrition class there,” she said. “Food and nutrition can help prevent reoccurrence.”
As Daigle continues to bring awareness to the disease, she strives to make more conscious decisions for herself as well as reaching out to others who are going through what she went through.
“Every day, today, is a blessing,” Daigle said. “Each day, I think about what I can do about today that I can be grateful for. How can I make a difference with my choices? Cancer is not judgmental. It’s not discriminatory. It can affect any race, creed, anybody. We all have that common bond.
“I saw a woman at an antique mall in Denham Springs a while back who had no hair. I walked over to her and told her, ‘It will grow back.’ That little thing made all the difference. Turns out, we see the same oncologist and are participating in the same trial.”
Officers from the Thibodaux Police Department debut their new breast cancer police cruiser. The pink ribbon-adorned vehicle, the product of a partnership between TPD and Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, is one of many ways local hospitals, police departments, fire departments, businesses and schools are bringing attention to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
