A Glimmer of Hope Continues Support of Magee Breast Cancer Care

8/5/2015

A Glimmer of Hope Foundation has been raising funds for breast cancer research since 1994, and the Foundation recently presented Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC with a gift of $130,643 to continue funding innovations in breast cancer treatment and care. Over its 21 years of support, A Glimmer of Hope has donated more than $1.6 million to programs supporting breast cancer care at Magee.

“We are honored to present our annual gift to Magee,” said Diana Napper, founder and president of A Glimmer of Hope Foundation. “We believe in the care Magee provides for the women in our community and beyond, and with this gift, new technology and continued guidance will allow that care to grow even stronger.”

This year’s funds from A Glimmer of Hope will bring innovative mammography technology to Magee in the form of C-View software. With traditional mammography, two images of the breast are taken from the top and side, but with the 3D mammography currently available at Magee, 11 images are taken during a 7-second examination, which are then compiled into a series of 1mm high-resolution slices that can be displayed and examined individually.

C-View technology, combined with Magee’s 3D mammography, reduces the number of images necessary to just four and also reduces radiation exposure. With the funds from A Glimmer of Hope, three C-View units will be purchased for use at Magee breast centers located in the Oakland, Monroeville and Aspinwall neighborhoods.

The gift from A Glimmer of Hope also will continue to finance Magee’s patient navigators who guide women with breast cancer as they face the complex decision making their disease requires, helping them understand the physical and financial implications of their treatments, and connecting them with support services including nutrition, yoga and household assistance, should they need them.

“The breast cancer treatment available at Magee would not be what it is today without the unwavering support of A Glimmer of Hope,” said Judy Herstine, the administrator of the women’s cancer program at Magee. “Over the years, Magee has made so many strides in breast cancer treatment and research thanks to the Foundation’s generosity, and this gift will go a long way in making a difference for our patients.”

Funding from A Glimmer of Hope will continue to support a breast cancer specialty care clinic for pre-menopausal and complex breast cancer patients, cancer genetics and patient navigation. For more information and to support A Glimmer of Hope, visit the Foundation’s website.