TAYLORVILLE – A fundraising campaign held by G.Y.M. (Get Yourself Motivated) fitness facilities in Taylorville, Pontiac and Washington helped provide free breast cancer screenings at Taylorville Memorial Hospital during the hospital’s Mammogram Mondays initiative in October.
The fitness facilities raised $1,200 through T-shirt sales and donations from clients and employees. A check was presented to the Taylorville Memorial Foundation.
“The donation from G.Y.M. helped six women receive a potentially lifesaving screening,” said Raedena Ryan, executive director of the Taylorville Memorial Foundation.
Each October, Taylorville Memorial Hospital provides free breast cancer screenings for women who are uninsured or underinsured as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Taylorville Memorial Foundation provides funding to cover the cost of the mammograms.
“At G.Y.M., making healthy life choices is close to our hearts,” said Kiley Megrant, manager of Taylorville G.Y.M. “When we found out Taylorville Memorial Hospital has a program that helps [uninsured or underinsured] women get their yearly breast cancer screening, it was the perfect fit for us; our donation would support free mammograms for women in our community.”
The National Cancer Institute recommends that all women age 40 or older have screening mammograms every one to two years. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States.
