The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

WITH breast cancer being so prevalent in the Bahamas, women are encouraged to get screened regularly to increase the chances of early detection.

To encourage women to get examined on a constant basis, Doctors Hospital recently launched its “Love Yourself From Head To Toe” mammogram promotion.

Every month, a mammogram patient at Doctors Hospital is randomly selected as the “Love Yourself From Head to Toe” promotion winner.

Prizes include massages at the Doctors Hospital Rehab Centre as well as a variety of pampering prizes like facials, scrubs, manicures and pedicures from special partner Baha Retreat Anti-Aging Spa.

“Every year we do a mammogram special in October to recognise Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” said Doctors Hospital Marketing Director Jessica Robertson.

“We continue to do that, but we wanted to find a way to give back to all of our mammogram patients, regardless of what month they are scheduled for their exam.

“We came up with the ‘Love Yourself From Head to Toe’ mammogram promotion which treats one randomly selected patient each month to a special pampering prize.”

The promotion, Ms Robertson said, encourages women to take a proactive approach to breast health.

“Our patients are taking care of their breasts, and we felt it important to celebrate the fact that they are making their health a priority by pampering them in other ways.

“We are of course hopeful that this sort of a promotion will be an added incentive for other women to schedule their mammograms.”

Given that there are many women living with breast cancer in the Bahamas, Fianka Major, Imaging Department Supervisor at the hospital, said it is of extreme importance that women get the regular testing they need.

“In a country where breast cancer is so rampant, it is extremely important for Bahamian women to get screened for breast cancer every year,” she said.

“While we encourage women to perform self breast exams routinely, the fact is that a mammogram can detect breast cancer long before it reaches the stage where you can feel a lump, and early detection is the key to improved outcomes.”