Shore Regional Breast Center located at The Memorial Hospital at Easton recently accepted a gift from the Bonnie Hilghman Cancer Fund. The fund was established through the Mid-Shore Community Foundation in 2005 by Duane Hilghman to honor his wife Bonnie, who died from breast cancer.
“The fund is available to help people with whatever is needed as they face a breast cancer diagnosis,” explains Duane Hilghman. Women and their families receive financial assistance with child care, utility bills, house and car payments, medication and health insurance co-payments. “One hundred percent of what is raised in support of the Bonnie Hilghman Cancer Fund goes to the community,” Hilghman adds.
Hilghman made this gift to the Breast Center in response to an appeal from the Memorial Hospital Foundation. The donation underwrites a portion of the cost to add private physician offices to the recently expanded Breast Center. The gift specifically acknowledges Brooke Buckley, MD, a surgeon on the Breast Center staff, who has a professional relationship with the Hilghman family.
Patricia O’Shea, director of development for the Memorial Hospital Foundation, says, “Mr. Hilghman’s generosity will benefit women throughout our community. We appreciate his dedication to supporting the people whose lives are touched by this widespread health issue.”
“For four and a half years my wife Bonnie fought breast cancer at Shore Regional Cancer Center,” Hilghman remembers. “She was a familiar face there and she was touched by many of the people she met during her treatment.”
Hilghman adds, “The Breast Center is an important resource for our community. The staff there supports women and their families and it is vital that the community support their important work. As we enter October, which is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness month, I strongly recommend that women get annual mammograms as early detection greatly increases the chance to defeat this deadly disease.”
Founded in April, 2000, Shore Regional Breast Center is a part of the Shore Regional Cancer Program. The Breast Center provides precise, prompt diagnosis and in-depth counseling for women and their family members.
Under the medical direction of Jerry Batley, MD, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and nurses collaborate to give women the information they need to make informed decisions. Clinical services available through the Breast Center include digital mammography, stereotactic and ultrasound guided core biopsies and fine needle aspirations. The Breast Center’s genetic counseling program provides guidance for women who have been assessed to be at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
Shore Regional Breast Center’s nurse coordinator, Mary Jane Flynn, BSN, RN, OCN, CBCN, is a certified breast care nurse. She is available 24 hours, every day, to offer support and education. The center’s Breast Cancer Resource Center provides access to information about the latest developments in the field of breast cancer research and treatment.
The Wellness for Women program offers monthly clinic appointments at Shore Regional Breast Center for minority women and those who are medically underserved, uninsured and underinsured. Women who are eligible for the program receive screening mammograms and clinical breast exams by a nurse practitioner.
For more information about Shore Regional Breast Center, call 410 820-1000 or 410-228-5511, ext. 5387 or visit /www.shorehealth.org/services/breastcenter.