Donation to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at TGMC, Ladies Night Out (LNO) Make Breast Cancer Screening Possible

Haydel Sisters and Mother Raise Awareness and Funds

  (Houma, La.) – Since 2010, Brooke Haydel, with her sisters, Katie and Morgan and mother, Dr. Sarah Haydel have been raising funds for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at TGMC.  Brooke’s fundraising efforts began at the age of 10 when she raised $1,205.00 with the help of her two younger sisters, Katie and Morgan, by going door to door in their neighborhood asking for donations.  These efforts were spurred on by attending Race for the Cure event and in memory of her great grandmother, Frances McCoy Alexander, who was a breast cancer survivor, which was detected through a breast self exam. Since that donation, for the last three years the Haydel’s have donated proceeds from their raffle at Haydel Dermatology to Ladies Night Out (LNO).  At the 2013 LNO they presented a check for $13,730.00.  To date, over $60,000.00 has been donated.  Funds this year are being used to support a free breast cancer screening on the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at TGMC’s Early Bird Mobile Medical Clinic that is being held today, Tuesday, October 29 from 9 – 11 a.m. and from 12 – 2 p.m. Brooke Haydel is the daughter of Darren and Sarah Haydel, MD and the granddaughter of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Alexander. The American Cancer Society (ACS) predicts that by the end of 2013, more than 3,600 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in Louisiana. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at TGMC is offering free breast cancer screenings during October to help increase survival rates through early detection. Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in women, according to ACS, but with early detection that statistic has been steadily decreasing since 1989. Not only does early detection save lives, but it provides patients with a wider range of treatment options. Screenings are recommended for women 40 years and older and women with increased risks of breast cancer. Risk factors include:

• Being overweight or obese
• Physical inactivity
• Alcohol consumption
• Menopausal hormone therapy

The Early Bird Mobile Clinic provides free screenings for breast, prostate, skin, oral and colorectal cancers for the uninsured and underinsured. Expanding access to cancer screenings is critical to detecting cancer earlier, when more treatment options are available and better outcomes are possible. Death rates from cancer are higher than average in many Louisiana parishes due largely to late stage diagnosis.   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.