Make A Difference Breast Cancer Screenings is making a difference in the community

Linda Carter of Hagerstown knew she had a lump in her right breast.

The lump was so large that she characterized it as "bigger than a golf ball, but not softball size."


"You could see it through the shirt," the 48-year-old said.

But, she kept telling herself, she couldn't afford to take time off from work to get the lump checked out. And she didn't have insurance to pay for it.

Carter said that's when her landlord first mentioned Meritus Health's Make A Difference Breast Cancer Screening program, which gives free screenings to women who are uninsured or underinsured.

She said she even was going to make an appointment, but she just couldn't seem to get the time off from work.

So in a way, when Carter was involved in a car accident in the summer of 2011 it was actually a small blessing. Because, she said, she had no choice but to be off work and realized she had the time to make that appointment.

Carter was still healing from her car accident the day she came into the breast cancer screening.

"I had two black eyes and my knee was in a brace," she said.

Carter said she hobbled into the room and waited for her appointment. After an examination by the nurse practitioner, she was sent to get a mammogram that same day because there was cause for concern about the size of the lump. She was then sent to get an ultrasound.

Through it all, a Make A Difference breast-health navigator helped Carter find the doctor she needed, helped her with financial aid and, most importantly, held her hand.

A biopsy confirmed what Carter had feared — she had stage three breast cancer.


Carrie Starkey, Make A Difference program coordinator, said the program has seen more than 2,700 women during its 10 years. And through those screenings, 19 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, she said.

"It's designed to help uninsured and underinsured women living in our community to get free breast health education, screenings and detection and treatment, if necessary," Starkey said of the program.

Held monthly, there are three more screenings for September — Thursday, Sept. 13, Saturday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept. 22 (see breast screenings information box on page A7 for times and locations).

A grant-driven program, the Make a Difference Program is funded by the Maryland Affiliate of Susan G. Koman for the Cure, Avon Foundation of Women and Ride Across Maryland, allowing the program to continue to offer its services for free. Locally, the program coordinates with Meritus Health, John R. Marsh Cancer Center, Breast Cancer Awareness - Cumberland Valley and the Washington County Health Department's Breast and Cervical Cancer Program.

The screenings are open to women ages 18 and older, regardless of where they live, Starkey said. Women from Baltimore and Prince George's County as well as West Virginia and Pennsylvania have used the free services. And women ages 40 and older who are due for a mammogram or have not received their first mammogram will either receive a mammogram that day or within three weeks.

During the screening, Starkey said women will fill out a short form, then meet with a nurse practitioner who gives a clinic breast exam.

"Those women who are due or need a mammograms will receive one often the same day as the clinic, " Starkey said. "We want it to be one-step for them."