Breast in Show Provides Access to Mammogram Screenings
For the second year, Advanced Medical Imaging in Kokomo is helping close the gap between accessible mammograms for uninsured women in our community. The second annual Breast in Show auction and dinner is 5 to 10 p.m. Friday Sept. 22 at Bel Air Events in Kokomo.
Advanced Medical Imaging is Kokomo’s only outpatient imaging center. It provides services such as X-rays and MRIs as well as 3D mammograms and breast cancer screenings.
According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, women older than 40 years old should receive a mammogram every other year to screen for cancer. But for some women, experts say, the cost can be too much to bear.
“There are a lot of people who don’t have insurance because they work for a small business or other circumstances, It’s really humbling to hear those stories and how many people we’ve helped,” said Amanda Beasley, practice liaison at AMI.
The idea of a bra auction came about from a sister location of the imaging center located in Illinois, which hosted an online event and auction where individuals and businesses decorated a bra with a theme, along with other gift-basket items, that were then auctioned off to raise funds for accessible Mammograms and Breast screenings.
AMI saw this idea and ran with it, making it an in-person event which in its debut year raised $20,000 to provide around 100 women in the community with a mammogram and other needed screenings in the last year.
“We decided to level it up a bit. We know how Kokomo is and how community-oriented it is, so we decided to host an event and make a fun evening out of it to raise money for breast cancer,” said Beasley.
“Typically insurance covers a woman’s screening mammogram for women over 40, but if something shows up that requires a diagnostic mammogram, that gets expensive. Our hope is nobody goes without, they don’t look at the situation and say I can’t afford that.”
Gina Lowe-Frederickson, a Breast in Show auction donor, created a racing-themed bra with a basket of racing merchandise which includes a signed shirt from Kyle Busch and his son.
“Putting together a basket means that we can help more women who can’t afford mammograms and potentially save someone’s life,” said Lowe-Frederickson.
This year’s theme is ’80s prom and Beasley hopes everyone in attendance is inspired to go full out. So grab your sequins and your ’80s best and find out which organization has the Breast in Show for a good cause.
To learn more about Women’s Imaging Services at Advanced Medical Imaging, click here.