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Dancing with a Pink Ribbon

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January 08, 2018 | By Brandi Flynn

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In October of 2014, Christina Livingston, Cornerstone Care's service outreach specialist was checking out at a local department store when a conversation sparked between her and a woman working in the store.

Livingston coordinates a program called Dancing with a Pink Ribbon for Cornerstone Care, and at the time, the program had just recently been introduced to Washington County. The goal of the Dancing with a Pink Ribbon program is to provide women over the age of 40 with free Clinical Breast Exams conducted by a medical professional and to assist them in obtaining a mammogram.

Through their conversation, Livingston learned that the woman was at high risk of developing breast cancer since her mother had passed away from breast cancer in her 40s. The woman said that she felt like she needed to have a mammogram done since she was around the same age.

Coincidentally, Cornerstone Care was scheduled to attend a Breast Cancer Awareness 5k run the following weekend where they would be conducting free clinical breast exams via their mobile unit.

"I encouraged her to come to our unit to get a free breast exam, and I told her that we would be able to get her a script for a mammogram, as well," said Livingston. "She proceeded to explain that she couldn't visit our unit for the exam because she did not have insurance."

Livingston reassured the woman that Cornerstone Care would be able to provide her with a free clinical breast exam, a script for a mammogram, and a health insurance voucher through the Healthy Women Program at Adagio Health if she came to the event, which she did.

The woman was given everything that Livingston offered her, and her test results indicated that she had developed breast cancer in both breasts. Thanks to the services offered through the Dancing with a Pink Ribbon program, her cancer was detected early enough that it could be taken care of with a double mastectomy and no chemotherapy or radiation was necessary.

"There have been several women through the program who wouldn't have been able to have mammograms done because they didn't have insurance, and we've even helped them get insurance after they were diagnosed," said Livingston. "Through the Dancing with a Pink Ribbon program, we were able to save her life, and we've saved the lives of other women in Washington County through the early detection of breast cancer, as well. We encourage all uninsured women to stop at our mobile unit anytime they see it in the community."