Florida Hospital Apopka Raises Money for Mammography

Florida Hospital Apopka Raises Money for Mammography

Breast cancer survivor and hospital employee painted chair for raffle

APOPKA, Fla. ─ August 2, 2010 ─ Nancy Kelly is a mammography technologist at Florida Hospital Apopka with special empathy for her patients. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, Nancy is a survivor dedicated to creating awareness about the importance of mammograms for women in the Apopka community.

Nancy, a hospital employee of 15 years, recalls the support she received when she was a patient at Florida Hospital fighting a similar battle. "I have experience with breast cancer as a technologist and a survivor," said Nancy. "I want to show them that, even if the outcome starts out negative, with treatment here at Florida Hospital things can become positive. It is important to me that women who visit this hospital for a mammography know that we are here to provide more than a screening."

Now, Nancy and her Florida Hospital Apopka family have joined together to raise money for the Florida Hospital Mammogram Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to women who cannot afford yearly mammograms.

Florida Hospital Apopka recently purchased a chair that Nancy hand-painted for a breast cancer fundraiser earlier this summer. Nancy painted the wooden chair with the image of a large tree to symbolize the support system of her relatives and Florida Hospital family.

"The tree is symbolic of my friends and family who held me up during a tough time," said Nancy. A nesting blue bird sits perched on the branches. "When you are diagnosed you feel like this wounded bird.  But luckily, I was held up by many people. Every leaf and branch was painted as a reminder of the support system I now hope to exemplify to my patients."

Nancy is passionate about growing the mammography program at Florida Hospital Apopka. The hospital will raffle off the chair that Nancy painted to raise money for the mammography fund.

Florida Hospital Apopka hopes this raffle will not only raise support for the mammography fund but also stand out as a reminder to all women that mammograms are a vital part of staying healthy.  

"We are excited to show our continued support for Nancy and her philanthropic efforts as a breast cancer survivor," said Verbelee Nielsen-Swanson, administrator of Florida Hospital Apopka. "We hope everyone purchases a raffle ticket to help women in the community receive a mammogram."

Raffle tickets can be purchased for $1 per ticket or $5 for six tickets at the Florida Hospital Apopka front desk. Florida Hospital Apopka will hold a drawing on October 8, 2010 to announce the winner.

For more information on the Florida Hospital Mammogram Scholarship Fund, please visit www.fhfoundation.org.

For media inquiries only, please contact Florida Hospital Media Relations at 407-303-8217.

www.floridahospitalnews.com

###