Paint Nevada Pink

The Paint Nevada Pink “Bras for a Cause” is a unique event -- this year in Reno -- celebrating cancer survivors, creativity, and community. Using a bra as the canvas, organizations and community members are invited to create original, inspiring, or even funny art inspired by breast cancer. All funds raised support breast cancer screening in Nevada.

These works of bra art were showcased at the October 1^st Bras for a Cause Fashion Show at Locomotion Plaza in downtown Reno, followed by the pink lighting of the Reno Arch for breast cancer awareness. Bras are now a part of a mobile exhibit that will be displayed at different locations in Reno throughout the month of October. All proceeds from this event will go to the NCC assistance fund to provide uninsured and underserved people with mammograms and diagnostic services. 

Locations:

• October 8-11 - Reno Diagnostic Centers- 590 Eureka Ave
• October 14-18 - Greenberg Breast Health Center at Renown- 901 E 2nd St Ste 103
• October 21-25 - Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Tribal Health Center- 1715 Kuenzli St
• October 28-31 - Western Surgical Group- 75 Pringle Way Ste 1002

See the bra submission here, in our mobile exhibit booklet.

Special thanks to Western Surgical for their support of this event!

Reno Arch Lighting and "Bras For A Cause" Party
October 1 from 5-8 p.m., Arch Lighting at 7:30
Locomotion Plaza, Downtown Reno

Welcome to Las Vegas Sign Lighting
October 3, 11 a.m.
Las Vegas Sign 

Mammovan Stop at Atlantis Casino Resort
October 4
3800 S. Virginia Street, West Parking Lot
Call 877-581-6266 (option 1) to schedule a "no cost" mammogram

Pink & Pearl Screening Party
October 5, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center

R.E.D. Rose Program Breast Cancer Awareness Pop-Up
October 5, 12 - 4 p.m.
The Boulevard Mall, 3528 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas

JFSA United Against Breast Cancer, health and wellness fair and free mammograms
October 9, 11 a.m - 1 p.m.
College of Southern Nevada Student Union, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd. (just outside the building)

Coffee for a Cure, visit The Human Bean partners and 100% of all proceeds earned will be donated to Community Health Alliance to help support Women’s Health and mammograms.
October 18, all day
All Reno/Sparks Human Bean Coffee locations

Think Pink - Donuts for a Fight, visit any of the three Reno-Sparks Doughboys Donuts locations where a portion of proceeds will support Access to Healthcare Network's Access Medical Cancer Program
October 18, all day
All Reno/Sparks Doughboys Donut locations

Mammo-Rama Extravaganza!, free mammograms, immunizations, activities, games and food 
October 19, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Pearson Community Center, 1625 W Carey Ave, North Las Vegas

A Pink State of Mind – Cancer Has No Borders Mobile Mammography Event, featuring mammograms from Nevada Health Centers Mammovan and University of Utah Mobile Screening Unit 
October 30
Montego Bay, Wendover

Pop-Up Mammogram Scheduling Events in partnership with Renown Health, Women's Health Connection, Community Health Alliance and Engelstad Foundation R.E.D. Rose Program
Dates TBD
In Reno and Las Vegas
Watch for details coming soon!

Promotions to raise money for NCC's Screening & Diagnosis Fund
All of October
Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno

• Round-up your change at Toucan Charlie's Buffet to donate
• Purchase a pink ribbon for $1+ donation at the main cage or The Shoppes

...to schedule a breast cancer screening in the next 12 months or remind a loved one to so.

This pledge is more than a commitment to your health. It’s a simple and powerful statement to those around you that screening for breast cancer is a normal and regular part of life. Anyone can take the pledge and share this information with those in your life who have breasts. Your voice is a force for good in Nevada.

• A pledge to take control of your health.
• A pledge to learn about your personal risks and family history.
• A pledge to your family.
• A pledge to yourself.

After filling out the form, we'll remind you every year on your birthday.

So you took the pledge. What now?

Be an inspiration to your friends and let them know this is an important issue for you and your family. This 'share' is a tool to help your friends understand three important things about their health:

1) Why screening is important.
2) When to start and how often to get screened.
3) Where to get screened.

Goal: Detect a lump before you can feel it.

Screening tests like mammography have been very successful in finding breast cancer at an early stage. The goal of the screening is to find the cancer before it causes symptoms (like a lump that can be felt).

Breast cancers found during mammograms and other screening exams are more likely to be smaller and not spread outside the breast. The size of a breast cancer and how far it has spread are among the most important factors in determining a woman’s prognosis. Early detection tests for breast cancer help save thousands of lives each year, and many more lives can be saved when more women and their doctors use them regularly.

Starting at age 40 anyone at average risk for developing breast cancer should start receiving annual mammograms.

From ages 25 to 39, talk with a health care provider about beginning clinical breast exams and understanding your personal breast health, family history of cancer, and any other risk factors.

More Information:

View the official Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Recommendations from The American Society of Breast Surgeons here. 

Learn more about genetic counseling for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer here.

After talking to your healthcare provider they will give you a referral if it's time for you to get screened. Often, this referral is to a location with names such as "radiology," "diagnostics," or "mammography" in the name. This just means they have the mammogram machine needed to do your screening exam. Sometimes these are separate locations, and sometimes they are in a hospital or specialty clinic. You can also get a mammogram without a doctor's referral if you are age 40-75 and haven't been screened within the past year.

The Mammovan: You can schedule an appointment to get screened in the Mammovan if you don't live near a screening facility and the truck will be traveling to your community. Nevada Health Centers operates the Mammovan — a mobile mammography van that travels to rural areas of our state and those where it can be hard to get to a screening location. You often do not need a referral to get a mammogram here, and if you are over 40 you can get screened. To make an appointment, visit their website or call 877-581-6266.

The Women’s Health Connection (WHC) program provides breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to low-income women who are uninsured or underinsured. If breast or cervical cancer is diagnosed, Women's Health Connection patients may receive treatment through Medicaid. Click or call Access to Healthcare to learn more at 844-469-4934.

A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. The newest technology is a 3D mammogram, which combines multiple breast x-rays to create a 3-dimensional picture of the breast.

• On the day of your mammogram, don’t apply deodorant, antiperspirant, powders, lotions or perfumes on or under your breasts or in your underarms as these can cause white spots on the x-rays.
• You’ll need to remove your top and bra, so wearing a skirt or pants may be easiest. The facility will give you a wrap to wear. You’ll also want to remove any large earrings and pull back longer hair.
• Be sure to tell your technologist if you have any changes or problems with your breasts, if you have implants, or if you are breastfeeding or might be pregnant. Also, let them know if you have trouble standing or holding still alone.
• You and the technologist will be the only ones in the room during the mammogram.
• To get a high-quality picture, your breast must be flattened or compressed. You'll stand in front of the machine, and the technologist will place your breast on the machine. The plastic upper plate is then lowered to compress your breast for about 10 to 15 seconds while the technologist takes an x-ray. The machine may move in an arc if you are getting a 3D mammogram. The technologist will then help you change position so your breast is compressed from side to side before the next x-ray is taken.
• Generally, two views of each breast are taken for a screening mammogram. For some women, such as those with larger breasts or implants, more images may be taken.
• The procedure often takes less than 20 minutes, with actual breast compression lasting only 10-15 seconds for each image.

Adapted from American Cancer Society

You do not need a doctor’s referral to get a mammogram. If you are 40 or older you can schedule a mammogram without a doctor’s referral.

Most people diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history. Only about 10-15% of people diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of the disease. Those with a family history should talk to their doctor about their risk starting at age 25 and make a plan for when to begin screening.

Most people who get a screening mammogram won’t be diagnosed with cancer. Only about 2 to 4 screening mammograms out of 1,000 lead to a breast cancer diagnosis.

Mammograms use very small doses of radiation and the risk of harm is extremely low. Advances in technology have made mammograms more accurate with lower doses of radiation, making the benefits far outweigh the risks. There is also no danger in compressing the breast during the mammogram, and an existing cancer will not spread because of the compression.

The biggest risk for getting breast cancer is having breasts. Breast cancer isn’t a “white woman’s disease,” and doesn’t only affect people with a family history. Anyone can be diagnosed with breast cancer—even men! Some other things that do not or have not been proven to cause breast cancer include:

• Breast injury, squeezing or pinching the breasts
• Bigger breasts
• Consuming sugar
• Carrying a cell phone in your bra
• Working night shifts
• Bras with underwire
• Antiperspirants and deodorants
• Nipple piercings
• In vitro fertilization or abortion
• Exposure to chemicals in the environment

Annual breast cancer screening is for everyone with breasts. Getting a mammogram isn’t about feeling sick or unhealthy. It’s a regular part of health care to find cancers that can’t yet be seen or felt, which is when the cancer is easiest to treat.

Metastatic breast cancer is also known as stage IV breast cancer and is when a cancer that began in the breast spreads cancer cells to other parts of the body. The most common areas where metastatic breast cancer is found outside the breast are in lymph nodes, the brain, bones, liver, and lungs.

Up to 10% of people diagnosed with breast cancer may have metastatic breast cancer. Sometimes the first diagnosis of breast cancer is stage IV, but other times breast cancer can come back in another part of the body months or even years after the original diagnosis and treatment. Some men, who can also get breast cancer, are also diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, although there are few cases.

Metastatic breast cancer can be treated, but it cannot be cured. Those who have metastatic breast cancer have different types of chemotherapy and immunotherapy options and may try several different treatments. Some types of metastatic breast cancer may go into remission for periods of time, and life can continue as if living with a chronic disease. Oncologists note that with treatment, some people diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer can live 5 to 10 years or longer with the disease.

For those whose cancer is more advanced or aggressive, palliative care – treatment that helps to reduce the impact of side effects – can help to not just lengthen life but maintain quality of life as well.

Learn more about metastatic breast cancer here.

This year we want to know:

Who do you screen for?

Your daughter. Your sister. Your mother. Your partner. Yourself. 

Who is it that makes you stand up for your health to get a mammogram every year? Who do you want to set an example for? Who do you want to live and thrive with? Screening for breast cancer can be deeply personal, but it's also freeing. It helps people to take control of their health and tell others: this is important, I am important, you are important. 

We want to hear from you. Tell us, using the hashtag #PaintNevadaPink, who you screen for.

Spread the word and see who else is taking the pledge and sharing who they screen for. Click to visit our Facebook community to share your pledge with your friends and family. Add a Paint Nevada Pink frame to your Facebook profile image. Choose from one of three options:

#MammogramsSaveLives pink circle
Pink Ribbon
Pledge to Go Pink

Hint: It's about more than just changing a few lightbulbs. And it goes way beyond October.

“I want to be an inspiration for our employees and show them
that cancer screening is important to our company culture.”

 Jonathan Swinton, COO

Your or your organization can show your support for breast cancer screening in October, and all year round. Here are some ways you can support the Paint Nevada Pink movement:

• Go ahead and light your business or porch pink or add the pink ribbon to your car or fleet to drive awareness for screening.
• Wear pink on Friday or invite your co-workers to wear pink on Fridays in exchange for taking the pledge or donating to Paint Nevada Pink's screening fund.
• Recognize employees who are surviving & thriving with breast cancer.
• Let employees take time off each calendar year for cancer screenings.
• Host a screening education party or wellness event and share information on breast cancer and mammograms. Connect with us for help on that.
• Ensure your organization's health plan covers cancer early detection, diagnostics, and treatment.
• Offer an employee donation match to double the impact of donations to support breast cancer screening.
• Share your activities on social media using #PaintNevadaPink to let everyone know your or your organization supports women's health.

Contact Sarah Grocki (sarah@nevadacancercoalition.org) to learn how your company can help thousands of women all across Nevada.

Breast Cancer Screening for All Nevadans is In Reach

We encourage you to make a donation in memory of a loved one or to celebrate survivorship, a special occasion or simply to recognize their courage to fight breast cancer.

Screening for Uninsured & Underinsured

We will be using the money raised for those Nevadans who need help paying for screening and any other services they need to overcome barriers to screening.

Educating Nevadans

We'll continue to educate Nevadans about the importance of cancer early detection to find cancer early, when it's most treatable.

Don't See the Form? Click here to donate.