OCTOBER is Breast Cancer Awareness month and, to help educate the community about early detection, this edition features some important stories you’ll want to read. We at the Polk County Medical Association (PCMA) are here to help educate and equip the members of our community to live healthier lives, and subsequently, hopefully prevent serious illnesses such as these.
Cancer is a disease that, fortunately, can be treated when it is detected before it reaches a critical stage. With modern advancements in screening and treatment, more people today can proudly say they are cancer survivors. For this reason alone, it is important to have an annual physical and follow current cancer screening guidelines.
In this edition of Central Florida Health News, you’ll read about one patient’s story of survival, plus be able to take a quiz and test your knowledge on the subject. I encourage you to take this quiz, and then do it again with your mothers, daughters, and friends. Compare notes. Share what you know and what you didn’t know. This is part of the process of awareness and encouraging each other to do regular self-exams as well as get your recommended mammogram at the appropriate time.
If you know little about breast cancer, then the fast facts provided by Dr. Joy Jackson, the director of the Department of Health in Polk County and a PCMA member, definitely will be of help.
Last, but certainly not least, our Fifth Annual Casino Night fundraiser is just around the corner! You’re invited to join us on Saturday, October 24, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. The event will be hosted by Fields Motorcars Mercedes Benz, 4141 North Florida Avenue in Lakeland. Entertainment for the evening will include casino table games (played with fake currency, of course), as well as a silent auction, music, food, drinks, and more! The proceeds from this event go directly toward We Care of Polk County and the Polk County Medical Foundation. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call Jackie Courtney in our office at (863) 644-4051.
Sincerely,
ARVIND B. SONI, MD
Director of Radiation Oncology
St. Joseph’s Hospital, BayCare Health System
President, Polk County Medical Association