Trained mammography technicians will be available to provide free,
private screening mammograms to underinsured and uninsured women over the age
of 40 at Project Self-Sufficiency, 127 Mill Street, Newton, on Thursday,
November 2nd, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Funds to provide the free mammograms were raised by High Point Regional
High School’s Field Hockey Team in their annual Play Pink game, an initiative
developed ten years ago by recently retired coach, Bev Keur.
As part of the annual Play Pink event, the two competing teams join
forces during the weeks leading up to the game to raise funds with car washes,
bake sales, t-shirt sales, and raffles.
The game itself is punctuated with balloon send-offs in honor of cancer
survivors, music, food sales and other activities to honor cancer survivors and
to promote awareness of early detection and education. Each team sports pink uniforms during the
game. “My hope in starting this event is
that the opponent we play each year enjoys the Play Pink experience so much
that they initiate their own Play Pink event the following year,” notes
Bev. “The reason that we focus on breast
cancer is because we are a female team and because breast cancer is so prevalent
and it’s really important to spread the word.
Our goal is to raise funds to protect ourselves, our relatives and our
friends.”
“Combatting the high incidence of late stage breast cancer in this region
is one of our highest priorities, and we are extremely grateful to the members
of the High Point Regional High School field hockey team for this generous
donation which will allow local women to be screened for breast cancer,”
comments Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency, as
she received a check for $5,000 from the field hockey team.
Breast cancer is often a silent
disease, with virtually no symptoms, but it is often completely curable if
diagnosed in its early stages. In 1980,
the national five-year survival rate for women diagnosed with early stage
breast cancer was about 74%; today that number is 99%. There are currently more than 3.1 million
breast cancer survivors in the United States.
According to the New Jersey
Department of Health, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among
New Jersey women and the second leading cause of death, after lung cancer,
attributed to cancer in the state. In
2013, more than 7,500 New Jersey women were diagnosed with breast cancer. The rate at which new cases of breast cancer
are being diagnosed in Sussex County, as well as in the rest of the state, is
stable, according to the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease
Control. The county’s breast cancer
death rate is also falling, in accordance with state and national trends. However, the disease contributes to the death
of 1,300 New Jersey women annually.
Access to breast cancer screenings and optimal treatments is an urgent
public health issue.
Free mammograms funded by the High Point Regional High School field
hockey team will be offered at Project Self-Sufficiency as part of the agency’s
annual Community Health Fair on November 2, 2017, between 10:00 a.m. – 4:00
p.m. Mammograms will be offered by
appointment only to underinsured and uninsured women over the age of 40; some
income guidelines will apply. To make an
appointment for a free mammogram, or to find out about the other programs and
services offered at Project Self-Sufficiency, call 973-940-3500 or visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org.
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