ONTARIO — Cato Fashions sales associate Joetta McCruter-Polk said she wanted to help other women take care of themselves with accessible health services.
McCruter-Polk, a five-year breast cancer survivor, helped organize an InnovaCare mobile mammography unit at Cato Fashions in Ontario on Oct. 6. The coach parked in the Walmart shopping plaza at 347 N. Lexington-Springmill Road.
“Our store definitely has a passion for this and we came up with the idea because early detection is key to prevention,” McCruter-Polk said. “It only takes 15 minutes and it could save your life.”
The Cato Fashions team also had a table set up with resources for breast cancer detection and other community organizations.
Each woman who received a mammogram also went home with a free piece of cake or a cookie.
Store manager Greta Buchanan said each Cato branch hosts a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, celebrated in October.
“For every million dollars raised by all the Catos, the company donates a million dollars to education and cancer prevention resources,” Buchanan said. “Early detection is prevention, so it felt great to host the mammogram coach.”
Shoppers can make a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation in the store to enter a drawing for a gift basket valued at more than $500. The basket includes gift cards, lotions, clothing, makeup and more.
‘One of the best things women can do for their health’
InnovaCare mammography technologist Claudia Cegelka said the coach travels to different businesses and health fairs throughout the year.
The company is based in Cleveland Heights but has traveled as far as Columbus or Van Wert.
“If you get an exam at a hospital, you’re probably waiting behind other people and you might end up spending half your day there,” Cegelka said. “But here, we’re only doing mammograms and the paperwork and screening process should only take 20 minutes.”
Cegelka said the 3D mammography machine can pick up cancer cells as small as a grain of sand.
“When they’re that small, they haven’t formed lumps yet, so you can catch it early and it’s very treatable,” she said. “Getting annual mammograms is one of the best things women can do for their health because if you find the cancer too late, it can be life-threatening.”
A radiologist reads all the mammogram scans and calls patients with results.
Annette McCreedy, another mammography technologist, estimated they probably saw 25 women in the Cato parking lot on Friday.
“We have a lot of people visiting us for their first mammogram and they usually walk out saying ‘that wasn’t bad at all,’ ” she said. “We’re very careful with the compression because it should feel snug but it shouldn’t be painful.”
McCreedy noted that InnovaCare can administer a mammogram on any adult, but most women younger than 40 go to their doctor first to see if it’s recommended.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most breast cancers are found in women who are more than than 50 years old, though it can also affect men and younger women.
The CDC recommends women older than 40 schedule annual mammograms.
