Women flock Jamaica Cancer Society for free mammograms

Sixty-three-year-old Diana McDowell journeyed by public transportation from Thompson Town in the hills of Clarendon to get to the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) headquarters on Lady Musgrave Road, St Andrew, last Friday to get her mammograms done.

McDowell, who got to the venue at 8 a.m., was among 200 women who benefited from free mammograms, courtesy of the Jamaica National Group. The initiative, which took place on World Mammography Day, formed part of the JN Group's sixth renewal of the 'Power of Pink' breast cancer awareness campaign. McDowell said she pulled out all the stops to ensure she got to the location on time, in order to benefit from the free mammogram.

"I got up at 4 a.m. this morning to be here. I took one taxi from where I live to May Pen, another to downtown Kingston, and another taxi to the Jamaica Cancer Society. When I got here, there were more than 60 people ahead of me," she said.

Noting that she has had relatives who have died from breast and other cancers, McDowell stressed that it is important for women to get their mammograms done.

"It is important for us to know our status and take care of ourselves, and get assistance in whatever way possible, because early detection saves lives," she said.

Acting Executive Director of JCS Michael Leslie also underscored McDowell's point, emphasising that women should get regular breast cancer screenings.

"We are grateful for the partnership with JN as they have been supporting us for many years, and I just want to encourage women to ensure that they get their annual breast cancer screening, as this could save their life if breast cancer is detected early," he stressed.

Carlene Edwards, head of promotions & sponsorships at JN Group, said although the company had planned to provide 50 free mammograms, a decision was taken not to turn away the additional women who showed up, although the event had achieved its quota.

"We understand that mammograms are relatively expensive for several women, and there is also a shortage of mammogram machines islandwide, which further compounds the issue, as many women cannot afford to travel to other parishes to get their mammograms done. And so, we decided not to turn away any woman who wanted to get a mammogram done, even though we were oversubscribed," she said.