A local nonprofit is removing some of the barriers to breast cancer screenings – not only paying for mammograms for women in need but also providing free transportation to get them to their appointments.
Belsi Juarez, 29, felt a lump in her breast during a self-exam last year and didn’t know where to turn.
“It’s been really hard, especially because I have a 3-year-old daughter and I live with my mother,” Juarez said. “We are all three by ourselves in this country.”
Originally from Guatemala, the single mother spoke to News4 through a translator, sharing some of the obstacles that almost kept her from getting a mammogram.
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“I didn’t have insurance at the time,” she said. “I didn’t have any resources, and the breast exams are very expensive. Transportation was a big issue, too, because the appointments are far away, and I don’t drive.”
She reached out to Mary’s Center for help.
“When she was going to do her breast exams, she was asking a lot of days off at work and then she lost her job,” said Ana Alvarez of Mary’s Center.
Health
“Financially, she was struggling,” Alvarez said. “So that’s when I connect them to resources, and one of them is Wheels for Women.”
The Brem Foundation’s Wheels for Women program is designed to eliminate some of the barriers to breast cancer screenings, covering the cost of a mammogram and other diagnostic exams and offering free rides through Lyft to get to those appointments.
“Early detection of cancer saves lives,” Brem Foundation CEO Clare Dougherty said.
“The truth of the matter is, though, early detection means nothing if you can’t get to your appointment, and that is essentially what the program called Wheels for Women is addressing,” Dougherty said.
To date it’s completed more than 1,000 rides for women in need across the DMV and Baltimore.
That service helped Juarez get an official diagnosis. She had breast cancer that was spreading, but after two surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation she’s on the road to recovery and sharing her story to help others.
“I would tell others not to be frustrated,” she said. “I didn’t know that these types of services were even available before, but now with God’s help, and with the help from this program, I’m getting through it. I can’t imagine where I’d be without it.”
Juarez finishes radiation next month and hopes her story will help alert others about the services available to those in need.
