Porter Regional Hospital Hosts ‘Blow Away Breast Cancer’ Celebration During 2015 National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Porter-New-Hospital-Coming-SoonIn observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, Porter Health Care System will host a “Blow Away Breast Cancer” rally featuring a flag-raising ceremony and presentation on the front lawn of Porter Regional Hospital at 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8. During the ceremony, Porter’s CEO Steve Lunn will read the Breast Cancer Awareness Proclamation and encourage women who are 40 or older, or who are considered at risk, to schedule an annual screening mammogram.

According to the American College of Radiology a mammogram can detect tumors up to two years before a patient or the physician can feel them. And the American Cancer Society reports that breast cancers found during a screening mammogram tend to be small and still confined to the breast, increasing the chances they can be treated.

“It’s vitally important to find ‘something’ when it’s small,” said Porter’s Breast Care Patient Navigator Peggy Banks, RN. “The five-year survival rate is 98 percent for those who cancer is detected before it spreads to the lymph nodes. So you can see it’s all about early detection and we encourage women to make scheduling their mammogram part of their routine healthcare plan.”

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among American women, affecting roughly 230,000 women as well as 2,300 men each year and is responsible for more than 40,000 deaths annually in the United States.

Porter Health Care System has two hospital campuses and seven outpatient facilities serving Porter, Lake, LaPorte, Starke, Newton, Marshall and Jasper counties. With more than 350 physicians representing 50 medical specialties, Porter Health Care System is committed to medical excellence and personalized, patient-centered care. Porter is directly or indirectly owned by a partnership that proudly includes physician owners, including certain members of the hospital’s medical staff.