May has arrived in full bloom, meaning it’s time to commemorate moms across the Region for all they have done to positively impact our lives today. What better way to celebrate the maternal figures in your life than to encourage them to be their happiest and healthiest selves? A visit to the Breast Care Center at Methodist Hospitals can do just that by helping them keep up with their health with check-ins from a quality, seasoned team and mammograms at a special rate of just $99.
Jen Sanders, manager of the Breast Care Center, noted it’s even a common occurrence for mothers and daughters to visit together to get the conversation started on how to best maintain breast health at all stages of life.
“We want to educate and talk to mothers and daughters about breast health. We have it happen all the time where mothers and daughters come in together for their mammograms,” Sanders said. “We've also always tried to create that mother-daughter unit by letting them know that there's a safe space to talk about their breast health here at the center.”
No matter a woman’s role in the family, breast cancer is a scary concept at any age. According to Sanders, 30% of cancers treated at Methodist Hospital are breast cancer. However, talking to both mom and daughter can catch the signs earlier while also walking them both through how to best support one another during all stages of the treatment and recovery process.
Even if one is not a local to Northwest Indiana, knowledge of a mother or daughter’s family history can go a long way in maintaining every woman’s breast health.
“We have had a mother who was a volunteer for us and has been diagnosed here. Her daughter was in Florida, and her daughter was just recently diagnosed over there in Florida,” Sanders said. “We always see a connection between mother and daughter. We want to have further conversations, and it can even lead to other conversations about their other daughters. Sometimes moms will say, ‘I tried talking to my one daughter, but she will not come in. Two of my daughters will, but the other one is afraid to.’ We always want to help our patients, and we’ll do what we can to make sure all moms and daughters can stay healthy, too.”
While every patient may not be the team’s literal mom or daughter, the Breast Care Center welcomes them all with open arms to join as extended members of the family. The team consists of women who are mothers, daughters, and more themselves. They understand their patients hold that same level of importance in their only families, so the team wants to ensure quality, compassionate care for each and every individual who walks through the center’s doors and to help them thrive when it comes to breast health.
“We recognize that might not be our mother, our sister, or our daughter who’s coming through the door for a mammogram, but she is someone else's, and we will treat her the same way that we treat our own families – with kindness, compassion, and a caring attitude,” Sanders said. “We always want patients to recognize that this is a safe place for them to come to receive that kind of care and for us to help manage that care – that's our mission. Maybe our patients have things that are distracting them in life or are having a rough day at work. We want to be that safe haven for them. We always feel it's important for women to make sure that mom and daughter are on the same track for their breast health.”
Dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis is never easy, but the staff at the Breast Care Center has built a community for women during this vulnerable time. This includes teaming up with other organizations throughout Northwest Indiana to help take patients’ minds off life’s other stressors and let them know they aren’t alone in the fight.
“We also have little gifts for our patients,” Sanders said. “We work with Laini Fluellen Charities, and they give our patients a breast bag. There's all these beautiful things in these bags that help women through their newly diagnosed cancer journey. We work with Fighting Pretty, and they give us little trinkets that we get to our patients. Through both of those organizations, we’re able to give our patients gas cards, little Target cards, things like that to help them get through their day and let them know that we're thinking of them.”
The Breast Care Center works hard each day to stay true to that mission and has recently updated its insurance policy to welcome even more women – about 100 a month according to Sanders – into the tight-knit crew. Now, more women across Northwest Indiana than ever can schedule mammograms and appointments, ensuring they stay on top of their breast health while having a team in their corner cheering them on every step of the way.
“We're so glad that those patients gave our facility a chance, and we've been able to really live our mission and take care of so many amazing women this year,” Sanders said.
The Breast Care Center at Methodist Hospitals provides quality breast care six days a week. Both campuses are open from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Saturdays, its Northlake campus in Gary is open from 7 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., and its Southlake campus in Merrillville is open from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
To learn more about the center or schedule your mammogram today, visit its website at the link here.
