I grew up in a place that was affectionately called “The Magic City”. All of my developmental milestones and impactful life events have unfolded on the island of Grand Bahama. The people of this island are the most resilient group of people I have ever seen. This quality is displayed every time this island has been impacted by a hurricane, and over the last twenty years there have been too many to name. The most notable and most recent, Hurricane Dorian was a monster that flooded 65% of the island displacing residents and claiming many lives.
As residents focus on rebuilding and securing basic human needs less focus is given to one’s personal health. With the passage of every storm, the mammogram screening rates decline and early detection becomes an elusive ideal.
I have worked in the field of mammography for the past twelve years and have witnessed the women of this community struggle to get an appointment and struggle to pay for the exams. The Mammogram Access Program was established to assist women with accessing screening mammograms. We have set an ambitious goal to screen 2000 women by October 2022. It is my hope that someday early detection will be a more frequent occurrence. With your support breast Cancer does not have to be a death sentence.