JOPLIN, Mo. -- More than 30 local women received free mammograms during a key breast cancer awareness event held inside the Wes and Jan Houser Women’s Pavilion on Saturday.

As a bonus, each woman left the building holding a colorful mum, courtesy of Joplin Greenhouse & The Coffee Shop. 

“Mammograms save lives,” said Freeman Mammography Technologist Stephanie Thompson.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in women, she said, second only to cardiovascular disease. Among women, breast cancer is the most common type. In fact, one out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.

“That number is staggering,” Thompson said with a shake of her head. “I’ve had at least three women that I know personally that have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Everybody in their life has been touched by breast cancer one way or another.”

Screening mammograms help detect breast cancer at early stages, where survival rates are much higher. 

“Breast cancer is small early on – it hasn’t had a chance yet to spread from the breast,” Thompson said. “That’s why it’s so important for women to receive their mammograms.”

Thankfully for area women in need of a mammogram, Freeman Health System is the first and only in the region to offer GE Healthcare’s Senographe Pristina™ Dueta, an advanced 3D mammography system. It has been proven that 3D mammogram images, due to their enhanced detail, can detect small breast cancers easier and earlier than traditional 2D images. 

Sadly, far too many women in the Joplin region, including the uninsured and underinsured, forgo a possible life-saving mammogram due to limited financial resources. That’s where the Helping Friends Mammogram Fund comes into play. This special fund has minimized that scenario and filled in the monetary gap by providing free mammograms, diagnostic screenings and comprehensive breast care services. Freeman’s Development Office works with the community to keep the fund in force. More than 2,000 women have had mammograms and screenings with the assistance of the fund since it began in 2000. 

For more information about Pristina or the Helping Friends Mammogram Fund, or to schedule a mammogram, please call 417.347.7777.