MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center Celebrates Patients During 10th Annual 'Hope Lives Here' with Giant Human Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon

For 10 years, MemorialCare Breast Center physicians, care team members, mentors, cancer survivors, and employees have gathered at the beginning of October to raise awareness about breast cancer. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women, and raising awareness is key to encouraging early detection through mammograms. Many women delay their annual screening mammography, or don't begin their baseline screening at age 40, resulting in breast cancer being caught in later, more advanced stages. About one in eight women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. Early detection, especially those found from self-screening, has successfully proven to treat breast cancer before it reaches the advanced stage.

"As we kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month today, I am reminded of how much this cause means to all of us," said Angela Sie, M.D., medical director of breast imaging, MemorialCare Breast Center at Long Beach Medical Center. "Today's event is about more than just awareness - it's about love, support, and emphasizing the importance of annual mammography screenings."

At this year's Hope Lives Here event, two-time breast cancer survivor, Roneka Taylor shared her experience about her breast cancer journey. In 2011, she faced her first cancer diagnosis at another area hospital. Then, in June 2023, 11 years after her first diagnosis, her cancer had returned. But she found hope when she was referred to the Todd Cancer Pavilion. Today, she is cancer-free, and mentor's other women who are newly diagnosed with cancer.

"From the moment I walked in and saw the cranes hanging in the Todd Cancer Pavilion lobby, a calmness came over me. Then I met Dr. Jonathan Blitzer and Dr. Jessica Rayhanabad; there was a warmth and understanding I hadn't felt before, and something just clicked. I was never alone; I had an incredible care team, a host of people who prayed for me, and my mom and my three kids who stood by my side every step of the way giving me courage."

- Roneka Taylor

Breast cancer patients mingled with physicians and the care team that guided and supported them in their journey. Every mammogram at the MemorialCare Breast Center at Long Beach Medical Center is read by a team of women who are sub-specialized in breast radiology. Their only focus is breast care. Research has shown that this level of training and expertise results in higher quality, more accurate mammogram findings.

The MemorialCare Breast Center at MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center specializes in the early detection of breast cancer utilizing state-of-the-art technology for the highest level of breast imaging, which provides more accurate results and increases cancer detection rates.

To schedule a mammogram at the MemorialCare Breast Center or learn more about the program, visit memorialcare.org/LBBreast.