The bottom line is that mammograms save lives. Sadly, not everyone can afford regular mammograms. But Christus St. Patrick Hospital is offering free mammograms to women in our area who have low incomes, are uninsured, or underinsured.

Laura Babin, the clinical trials coordinator for Christus St. Patrick's, says:

"Throughout the years I've had so many patients with breast cancer that come to me and it's gone unnoticed for so long. And the reason why they didn't go is they didn't have insurance or they didn't have enough money gathered up to get their mammograms."

That's an all-too-true story for many women. My niece, Ruthie Gray, was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago and, luckily, they caught it very early. My niece has now been cancer-free for a few years. Had it not been for the early detection through the mammogram, they might not have caught the cancer in time.

According to statistics, there are hundreds of women in the area who qualify for the free mammograms, but, as of this writing, only 65 women have taken advantage of them.

In addition to free mammograms, Christus St. Patrick Hospital will also hold a free breast cancer risk class tomorrow (Thursday) at the Women's Health Center at 1601 Country Club Road. The class gets underway at 5:30 p.m..

If you would like to find out if you qualify for a free mammogram, and let me encourage you to do this, click here.

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