UPMC Washington hosts ‘Mamm O’ Glam’ event
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and UPMC Washington Women’s Center hosted its first “Mamm O’ Glam” event on Tuesday, combining breast cancer screening with a little pampering to make routine screenings for women easier, more welcoming, and less stressful
Women who received their mammograms at UPMC Washington Women’s Center at Landings Drive, Washington, were treated to complimentary manicures and chair massages provided by Penn Commercial Business and Technical School, and received a gift bag and refreshments.
More than 90 women participated in the event, including Katy Spara, 58, of Washington, who last got a mammogram in 2021.
“It’s been a few years; it was time to do it. I needed it done,” said Spara, whose PCP encouraged her to get a mammogram. “I feel relieved. It’s done and over with, and it’s important to stay on top of it. And it’s not a scary or painful procedure, either.”
Candy Clish, 65, of Charleroi, hadn’t gotten a mammogram in 20 years, and decided the Mammo O’ Glam event was a good time to get screened.
“I just never take the time to do it, but it’s something we should do and I’m glad I did,” she said. “A friend of mine kept encouraging me to get it scheduled, so I did.”
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women – approximately 13%, or 1 in 8 women, will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime – and regular mammograms can help detect cancer before symptoms develop.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
Breast cancer death rates have been decreasing steadily since 1989, for an overall decline of 44% through 2023 – a decline the ACS attributes to finding breast cancer earlier through screening and increased awareness, as well as better treatments.
Shelley Lynch of Brownsville underwent her first mammogram screening on Tuesday.
Her husband owns a trucking company and, because the couple are self-employed, they tried to save costs by going without health insurance for several years.
“But we know how important it is to take care of yourself, and we finally decided to get (health insurance), and now we’re trying to make up for lost time and getting all of the routine screenings and tests that we need to do,” said Lynch, 50, whose test results were back within the day – and were normal. “I actually did feel relieved, and I feel like I got something important accomplished. And they gave me a nice gift bag that included a voucher for a food truck, so I got a cinnamon latte and ended up having a nice day.”