Dirks wins quilt, peace of mind

Mavis Dirks of Park Rapids knows that the real reason she has a yearly mammogram in St. Joseph’s Area Health Services Imaging Department is to prevent breast cancer.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) says the goal of mammograms is to find breast cancer in women at an early stage so it can be treated successfully.

Early detection saves lives.

Mavis was just happy to have her annual screening done, but she was pleasantly surprised to win the beautiful quilt from the raffle she had signed up for following her mammogram screening.

“It’s a pretty easy thing to do (yearly mammogram) to prevent such a serious disease,” Mavis says. Kristen Lund, St. Joseph’s Imaging Technician, agrees. “Preventative care is the easiest kind of care,” says Lund. “With our full-field digital mammography equipment, your appointment can be quick and pain-free.”

St. Joseph’s mammography patients can enter into a raffle for a quilt made by the generous and loving hands of the Crazy Quilters club of Park Rapids and a winner is chosen each fall.

Breast cancer screening guidelines include: yearly mammograms starting at age 40, clinic breast exam every three years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women 40 and over, breast self-exams for women age 20 and over, and additional testing at any time if there’s family history of breast cancer.

Patients will need to set up an appointment through their physician for a mammography to be ordered. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact your regular provider.