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Better Health G |
MERCY MEDICAL CENTER: Survivorship after Breast Cancer, G3 BAYSTATE HEALTH: Breast Cancer Treatments, G5 BREAST CANCER: Among Younger Americans, G7
| SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2023
Rays of
Hope 2023
Left: The Golden Years Homecare Team sponsored the Arch for the 29th Annual Rays of Hope Walk & Run. Middle: L to R- Springfield Police officers Kelly Diedrich and Maria Sicialno, Commissioner Cheryl Claprood, and officer Wanina Justiniano. Right: The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority team. (PHOTOS COURTESY OF ED COHEN)
By Cori Urban
survivors will feature community partner programs, For 30 years, Kathy Tobin, survivor resources and excludirector of annual giving and sive survivor shirts available events for the Baystate Health on a first-come, first-served Foundation, has watched basis. Along the walk route, “the power of this community local performers and sponbathe breast cancer survivors sored water stops will keep in the pink rays of their love participants entertained and and support.” hydrated. The mission of Rays of Hope Since it was founded in 1994, Rays of Hope has been is to raise funds to improve the breast health of the people committed to improving the in local communities with breast health of people in local communities with quality quality and compassion in partnership with the Baystate and compassion. The event Health Breast Network. By has grown from 500 to more than 20,000 participants and offering community education and outreach; providing has raised more than $16.6 million, all of which supports coordinated, accessible, and medically advanced care at patient care, services and research throughout Western the initial stage of diagnosis and continuing through Massachusetts. This year’s 30th anniversary treatment and recovery; and event, which takes place Oct. supporting patients through the continuum of care, the 22, offers three participation needs of the whole person are choices: an 8k run, a 2-mile handicap-accessible walk acknowledged. Rays of Hope also is comroute or a 5-mile walk route, all beginning at Temple Beth mitted to funding breast El in Springfield and winding cancer research. through Forest Park. Last year, Rays of Hope raised more than $523,000, Temple Beth El will host a all of which remained local. pre-walk action. The stage program opens “Our goal this year is to surat 9:45 a.m. and will showpass last year’s total so that we can continue to fund local case survivors, community partners and Baystate Health breast cancer care, support medical staff. There will be and research for the people in western Massachusetts,” said a Rays of Hope store — 100 Michelle Graci, manager of percent of proceeds support events for the Baystate Health Rays of Hope. The Pink Hope Lounge for Foundation. Special To The Republican
Top: Michael Mazzaferro with Rays of Hope founder Lucy Carvalho at the 29th Annual Rays of Hope Walk & Run Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer. Bottom: Scene from the 29th Annual Rays of Hope Walk & Run. (PHOTOS COURTESY OF ED COHEN)
Since its inception in 1994, Rays of Hope has been helping individuals in the fight against breast cancer. Through the Baystate Health Breast Network, Rays of Hope cares for the whole person from diagnosis and beyond. This is done by supporting research at the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research, funding state-ofthe-art equipment, sponsoring breast health programs, outreach and education and supporting patients and survivors. Rays of Hope also provides grants for complementary therapies and cancer programs to its community partners throughout Western Massachusetts. One in eight women and one in 100 men will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes, and it is estimated that there will be more than 290,000 cases diagnosed in 2023, noted Dr. Grace Makari-Judson, medical director at the D’Amour Center for Cancer Care and co-director of Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research. Since 1994, significant progress has been made in diagnosis and treatment. “Many of these innovations were fast-tracked into our community thanks to Rays of Hope including minimally invasive biopsies instead of surgical biopsies, sentinel lymph node
biopsy rather than complete axillary dissection and seed localization instead of needle localization,” Makari-Judson said. “Increased uptake of genetic testing aids to identify individuals at highest risk and develop personalized strategies for risk reduction.” Coordinated multidisciplinary teams have been assembled to address complexity of care and streamline and select best options for each individual patient. New drugs and new molecular tests are used to personalize care. Chemotherapy is reserved for those who will benefit the most. Targeted treatments, such as the HER2 directed treatment, trastuzumab (Herceptin) and immunotherapy have revolutionized care in specific subsets of breast cancer, she added. “Many of those with metastatic breast cancer live longer with better quality of life and may survive over five years thanks to many new treatment options. The best news: Since the 1990’s, mortality has declined by nearly 40 percent,” Makari-Judson said. She pointed out that studies show that screening mammography reduces risk of death from breast cancer in women ages 40 to 74: “Most recent recommendations suggest women at average risk
SEE RAYS OF HOPE, PAGE G2