Porter Regional Hospital Wants to Blow Away Breast Cancer

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many are donning their pink accessories and clothing to bring awareness to breast cancer and celebrate those strong individuals who are going through it, those who have beat it, and those who are supporting a loved one who has had the terrible disease.

Porter Regional Hospital always takes the cause to heart, and on a sunny day in October a special ceremony was held, their “Blow Away Breast Cancer” event, in observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A crowd of pink-clad people gathered in front of the hospital, each clutching a pink pinwheel.

The pinwheel was a symbol that emblematized Porter’s support in blowing away breast cancer. The breeze caught the pale pink vanes, twirling them and bringing smiles to the faces of those in attendance. The pinwheels were then planted in the ground in front of the entrance to the hospital. This was to serve as a reminder to those who enter and exit the facility to make breast health a priority.

A large flag emblazoned with the recognizable pink ribbon was raised and flew high as Porter’s CEO Steve Lunn read a proclamation.

“Whereas, while breast cancer awareness and education is critical, in order to provide the best possible chance of early detection, self-breast exams should be performed regularly, and women over the age of 40 are encouraged to have an annual mammogram,” Lunn stated. “Now, therefore, Porter Health Care System honors October 2015 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and urges everyone to join in activities that will help all Americans understand what they can do to prevent and control breast cancer.”

Valparaiso resident Jenna Elders is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 while she was getting tested to be a kidney donor for her young son. There was a history of cancer in her family and when she found a lump on her breast she knew what it meant. She got tested, and she recalled the moment she found out. It was a Wednesday and she was alone when she got the phone call.

“You’re never prepared for that news even though you think you are,” Elders said. “I fell to my knees and cried out to God… I heard him speak to me clear as day, ‘Trust me,’ he said. From that moment I knew I was going to be okay.”

Elders chose to get her care at Porter.

“The surgeons, the nurses, the caring staff, the ladies at the Women’s Center – my angels – every single person who touched my life here at this hospital, I will be forever grateful,” Elders said.

“We love seeing how passionate [Porter Regional Hospital] is about the issue of breast cancer,” Rachelle Anthony, Health Systems Manager for the American Cancer Society said. “Because of people like you, you’re spreading awareness and letting women know to get a mammogram, do their prevention screenings and do them early.”

If you or a loved one are in need of a mammogram, don’t wait, call 219-983-8399 to schedule an appointment at Porter Regional Hospital.

Click here to find out about more about breast care services that are provided at Porter Regional Hospital.