Dozens walk together for a cause

by Scott Hunter

It wasn’t for a far-off cause that people gathered to walk through brilliant fall foliage on a perfect afternoon last Thursday. It was to help local women get a mammogram, a screening that can detect breast cancer early and thereby save lives.

It was Walking Together for Mammograms.

Kelly Buche said she is “a survivor, nine years strong, nine years grateful and nine years blessed” because she had good health insurance.

“But I was lucky,” said the local accountant just before awarding raffle drawings after the walk. “I had excellent insurance. I never had to worry about whether or not I could afford those treatments, afford those diagnostic testings, and afford to be able to get the care that I really needed to beat my cancer.”

She said the test costs about $600, enough to keep some people from getting tested, and encouraged people to give so local women would not have to choose between health and finances.

“I think about everyone else that’s not so privileged,” Buche said, “the women that don’t have that safety net, who are uninsured or underinsured, who work hard, yet still that care is just out of reach, who face barriers that should never exist when it comes to their health. They are moms, sisters, wives and best friends.”

People can still donate at https://cmccares.org/walk/ or point your cell phone at the QR code: