High School Swimmers Raise Money for Mammograms

March 5, 2013

Five local high school swim teams raised $1,490 for Dig for Life, Saint Francis Medical Center’s program that provides free mammography screenings for women who otherwise could not afford them.

Swim team students at Cape Central High School, Jackson High School, Poplar Bluff High School, Saxony Lutheran High School and St. Vincent de Paul High School in Perryville sold pink T-shirts for their “Splash Out Cancer” swim meet in December and selected Dig for Life as the fundraising recipient. Teams competed to sell the most shirts and raise the most money for the program; Poplar Bluff’s team finished on top this year.

Through Dig for Life donors, Saint Francis provides more than 400 free mammograms to local women each year, and has provided more than 2,000 free mammograms since the program began in 2000.

Breast cancer is the second-most diagnosed – and second-most fatal – cancer in women. One in eight women will be diagnosed with the disease in her lifetime, but early detection could save her life. Women age 40 and older should have a yearly screening, although only 51 percent get an annual mammogram.

Events supporting Dig for Life are scheduled in October and throughout the year and are listed at www.digforlife.com. Please visit the website or call 573-331-5133 to learn more or donate to the cause.

Five local high school swim teams raised $1,490 for Dig for Life, Saint Francis Medical Center’s program that provides free mammography screenings for women who otherwise could not afford them. From left: Linda Decker, executive director, Saint Francis Foundation; Maddie Siefert, junior, Cape Central; Brittany McArthur, senior, Jackson; Sierra Rau, freshman, Saxony Lutheran; Katilynn Rathe, Poplar Bluff; and Korrin Tilley, junior, St. Vincent de Paul – Perryville.