A pink jacket specially designed for mammograms will be distributed to women who will receive this examination in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, the first in Quebec, the Fondation Santé Jonquière announced on Tuesday.
He was a member of the CIUSSS du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean team that had the idea for the project, which had been in the air for several years.
“What we were told, when they ran the jacket, there were certain issues. It was more difficult to hold the place of the examination of the garment, or to bare one breast or both breasts. There are those who picked up their jacket on the ground. The project fulfills precisely these small elements, explained the general director of the Fondation Santé Jonquière, Sandra Lévesque.
The gown was designed to provide more comfort for women undergoing the exam. The wide sleeves are allowed to be lowered without completely removing the liver, while the elastic band holds it in place at the waist. It fits all sizes and warms the body.
“I can’t wait to have a regular mammo again. It’s going to be a lot of fun!” said Ginette Gagnon, a cancer survivor who has been in a regional cancer patient support program for several years.
A total of 700 gowns will be delivered in the next few weeks to five hospitals in the region, including 140 on Tuesday, at the Jonquière hospital.
“We can do about 70 a week, so that at the beginning of the summer, everything will be delivered” is certain Mélissa Lavoie, co-owner of the company Confection Image, mandated for the task.
This $24,000 project comes mostly from Chicoutimi Saguenéens fans, who donate generously every year during the game.
“Even the players, they often have the choice to redeem their jersey. Either their mother, their aunt, or someone close to them is diagnosed with cancer. They do it symbolically, but it goes directly to the foundation,” said director of operations Saguenéens de Chicoutimi, Serge Proulx.
The latter makes it possible for the hockey club to support the cause of breast cancer.
“We think it’s exceptional because it’s unique in Quebec,” he said.
The Santé Jonquière Foundation hopes that other hospitals in the area will follow suit.
More than 20,000 mammograms are performed annually in hospitals in the country and 400 new cases are detected each year.
“Me, he found out at the age of 47 through mammo. It is important to explore yourself. If you feel something, don’t take the chance, even if it’s not 50, go to the exam. I can still stand by that today,” Ginette Gagnon said.
The Santé Jonquière Foundation is currently working on other pink projects.
“There are projects that come because the realization of this one gives hope to others,” said Mr. Proulx.
