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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Community
Sharuane Lockhart is the lucky recipient of this year’s Doctors Hospital Mammograms for Life promotion. Each year she will get a free mammogram at the hospital’s K. Larry Carroll Advanced Imaging Center. Ms Lockhart has diligently had a mammogram performed every year since she reached the age of 40 when women in the Bahamas are recommended to get the annual breast cancer screening test. She said she encourages friends and other women to get one done as well and said it concerns her that too many women refuse to get the potentially life-saving test done because they have heard that it hurts. Imaging Supervisor Fianka Major explains that while some women may feel some level of discomfort during their mammogram, the Doctors Hospital team takes special measures to make the exam as comfortable and fast as possible, including the use of a special pad to add cushioning and warmth. “For some women a mammogram is uncomfortable, but the portion where we have to apply the pressure to the breast to get clear images only lasts a few seconds, and in all honesty, those few moments of discomfort they may experience are so much easier to deal with than the pain that comes with a positive breast cancer diagnosis,” she said. More than 850 women entered this year’s contest – more than double the number of entries in previous years. This coupled with a significant increase in the number of mammogram appointments booked during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month and into November, indicates that more women in the Bahamas are taking their breast health seriously, explained Marketing Director Jessica Robertson. “Breast cancer is such a huge health problem in the Bahamas, so it is wonderful to see these entry and appointment numbers increase. This tells us that women are getting the message that early detection via mammography can lead to more positive outcomes and they are taking the steps to ensure that they are getting screened,” she said. Doctors Hospital offers the country’s only complete breast diagnostic center – with digital mammography, 3-D Breast Ultrasound, Breast MRI utilizing the Bahamas’ only 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine, and where necessary, biopsy under imaging guidance.
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