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Oct 30, 2009 10:52 pm US/Eastern
Good 4 You: Breast Cancer Mammography Van
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Andrea Ivory has facilitated bringing the mammography van to neighborhoods that have residents lacking adequate health screenings.
CBS
This week, we mark the end of Breast Cancer Awareness month, with one South Florida woman who is taking her campaign to the streets. She is encouraging thousands of local Florida women to get the screenings they normally could not afford.
"Every time I knock on a door, it's another opportunity to save a life," said Andrea Ivory, a breast cancer survivor herself. Ivory's mission is to save as many lives as she can.
"We were put on this earth to do service for others, so every time I get to help other women, it is a fantastic experience," said Ivory who, in 2006, began the Florida Breast Health Initiative.
"The Florida Breast Health Initiative is an outreach organization. We are targeting working class people. We are going to make a difference and save some lives," said Ivory to
CBS4's Jorge Estevez.
Ivory was inspired after her own breast cancer diagnosis. She had insurance and opted for a bilateral mastectomy, but realized other women don't have resources.
"I want to level the playing field. Let's bring the resources to them," said Ivory, who along with partners like the Taylor Breast Health Center at Jackson Hospital, bring mammography vans to neighborhoods. Ivory's efforts and the efforts of her 2,000 volunteers are getting noticed by medical professionals.
"A lot of women don't feel the need. You really need to drag them to the vans which is what Andrea does," said Dr. Eli Avisar, Medical Director of the Taylor Breast Health Center.
Ivory's efforts were recognized by
CNN's Heroes Program. Now, Ivory is one of the ten finalists up for Hero of the Year Award. "Yes we have a strategy. I need one million votes. I need a million votes please," said Ivory.
So how many people has she helped, so far?
Statistics show it takes 1,000 mammograms to detect one case of breast cancer. So far, out of the just 600 people that Ivory has helped get tested, four cases have been detected--amazing odds.
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