Catching Cancer Before it Hits Home

Do you enjoy watching baseball, supporting our community, raising breast cancer awareness, listening to live music or wearing pink?

If you said yes to any of those, then come out to Fleming Stadium on Thursday, July 25 for the annual Paint the Park Pink Night sponsored by Wilson Medical Center, Greenlight, 98.5 the Big Dawg and Movin’ 99.3. Pink Tobs jerseys will be auctioned off and all proceeds will go to the Wilson Community Health Center breast cancer program in order to help eligible women receive free or-low cost mammograms.

With breast cancer being the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in women and the second highest cancer prevalent in our community, it is a priority of Wilson Medical Center, a Duke Cancer Network affiliate, to ensure that we are not only raising awareness about breast cancer, but helping women fight and overcome this battle through high-quality, safe and timely care.

In order to improve the chances of successful treatment and survival, early detection with annual mammograms needs to become routine for women over age 40. Wilson Medical Center’s Outpatient Imaging Center, 1711 Medical Park Drive, offers the most advanced 3D mammography and provides same-day results. It is not a secret that women often do not look forward to getting their mammograms, so Wilson Medical Center’s Outpatient Imaging Center has made the process easier by not requiring a physician order and accepting walk-ins from 1-4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 1-3 p.m. Fridays.

I am honored to say that we have recently revamped the Patient Navigation program at Wilson Medical Center in an effort to assist our patients and their families in easing the burden of navigating their cancer journey.

Our free program connects the patient navigator with those patients who are facing a possible diagnosis of cancer or who have a confirmed cancer diagnosis. Our patient navigator, Lisa Skinner, will not only serve as an advocate for the patient, but will be a liaison between the patient, caregiver and the patient’s professional medical team.

For more information about our services, please visit WilsonMedical.com or come out to Paint the Park Pink night at Fleming Stadium on July 25 to meet our staff. The Tobs game will start at 7:15, but gates will open at 5 p.m. as our local physicians and lawyers go head to head in some friendly competition with a softball game.

Will the lawyers be able to continue their winning streak, or will the physicians be able to win and steal bragging rights? Come on out to find out as we Paint the Park Pink and make pink more than just a color.

Courtney Harlow is the director of oncology services at Wilson Medical Center.