Shore Regional Breast Center will promote October as east cancer awareness month with various activities throughout the month, all aimed at increasing awareness of the disease and the services available at the Breast Center for prevention and treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, east 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.
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"October is a great time to remind people about the importance of prevention and education when it comes to their east health," says Roberta Lilly, MD, Medical Director for Shore Regional Breast Center. "Regular mammography screening can help lower east cancer mortality by finding east cancer early, when the chance of successful treatment is best."'
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The Breast Center will host a number of activities in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They include:
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Pink Ribbon Hanging: To kick off the activities surrounding Breast Cancer Awareness Month, staff and volunteers from the Breast Center will hang 243 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 Memorial Hospital. A public ribbon hanging ceremony will be held on Thursday, Sept. 27 at noon. 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 east cancer.
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Tree of Hope: To honor a loved one diagnosed with east cancer, members of the public may come to the 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 remem ance. Visitors may come to the Tree of Hope Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m.
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Cancer Survivor Art Gallery and First Friday Opening: The Shore Regional Breast Center art gallery will mark its third anniversary with an exhibit that features the art of east and cancer survivors. The cancer survivor art exhibit opens on Friday, October 3 at the Breast Center. The public is invited to the grand opening of the exhibit, from 5-7 p.m. The exhibit will continue through the end of the year.
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"While our awareness and education activities are a year-round effort, we look forward to taking this annual national observance as an opportunity to remind our friends and family about the world class resources available to them, right here in their own community," says Dale Jafari, MSN, CRNP, Breast Center coordinator.
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The Breast Center provides a full array of diagnostic services, including mammography, ultrasound, east MRI and biopsies along with a survivorship program, and other resources for patients and their family members. Staffed by Dr. Lilly a dedicated east surgeon, and Jafari, a nurse practitioner who has worked in women's health for 34 years, the Breast Center provide a comprehensive east health program that begins with diagnosis and continues through to survivorship. Members of the Breast Center team also travel around the region to educate the community about east health and the importance of early detection through mammograms and east self-examination.
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Shore Regional Breast Center is located at 219 S. Washington Street in Easton. The office is located on the first floor at Memorial Hospital. For more information about Shore Regional Breast Center click here.
