May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month – Houma

MBPCC at TGMC to Offer Free Screenings

  (Houma, La.) – From crawfish boils to swimming activities and sporting events, there is never a shortage of summertime activities going on in the Bayou Region. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at TGMC is reminding our community that protecting your skin is the best way to help ensure many more fun summers ahead. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Over the past three decades, more people have been diagnosed with skin cancer than all other cancers combined. And although it’s the most prevalent of all cancers, skin cancer is also the most preventable. “Unprotected exposure to harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun, and tanning by artificial means such as tanning beds, damage the skin and increase your risk of skin cancer,” said Renea Duffin, vice president, cancer support and outreach, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “The most startling fact of all is that one severe sunburn during the first 15 years of life can double your risk of skin cancer later on.” Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at TGMC is offering five free skin cancer screenings during the month of May. The screenings are for men and women 18 and older who do not have insurance and have not been screened for skin cancer by a doctor in the last 12 months. No appointment is required to participate. For more information, call (888) 616-4687.   Upcoming Free Skin Cancer Screenings:

• May 18 Walmart 16759 Hwy 3235 Galliano 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• May 21 Dulac Community Center 125 Coast Guard Road Dulac 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• May 24 Cannata’s 6010 Hwy 182 East Morgan City 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• May 29 American Legion 4990 Hwy 56 Chauvin 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

    Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at TGMC provides the full spectrum of cancer care, from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, treatment, recovery and survivorship for those in the Bayou Region. Its services include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, as well as patient navigation, clinical trials and free community screenings. The Center is nationally accredited with commendation and recognized for excellence in cancer care by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.