Give your mum a mammogram for mothers day

This Mother's Day the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC) and Commerce Bank invite you to think of all the women in your life: mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, and friends.

This year give them (and yourself!) a vital life- saving Mother's Day Mammogram(R). Early detection with a yearly mammogram, annual clinical breast exam and monthly breast self-exam are the best defenses against breast cancer.

Mother's Day Mammograms(R) connects women forty and older who meet income guidelines and who have little or no insurance with facilities providing FREE mammograms. Special Mother's Day Mammogram(R) brochures are available at all Commerce Bank locations in Central Pennsylvania. The 2004 program serves women between the ages of 40 and 64 in Adams, Berks, Dauphin, Cumberland, Lancaster, Lebanon and York Counties.

Interested women can determine eligibility by calling toll-free, 1-877-MAMMO-PA or 1-877-626-6672 through May 14th. The toll-free line is being provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and operated by Family Health Council of Central PA. Operators are available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday starting April 26th.

Mother's Day Mammograms(R) is a public-private partnership sponsored by the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition with corporate support from Commerce Bank, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Family Health Council of Central PA and mammogram service providers. FREE MAMMOGRAMS are provided for women 50 and up through a unique public- private partnership through the Pennsylvania Department of Health's HealthyWoman Program. Mammograms for women 40-49 are available at the following participating healthcare facilities:

• Gettysburg Hospital, Adams County
• The Reading Hospital and Medical Center, Berks County
• Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Dauphin County
• Ephrata Community Hospital, Lancaster County
• The Good Samaritan Hospital, Lebanon County
• Wellspan York Cancer Center, York County

"In 1989, I had my first mammogram. That mammogram found breast cancer and at that moment a silent but deadly intruder interrupted my life. That mammogram gave me a chance to live...it saved my life," said Charlotte Asherman, PBCC Executive Director and Founder, Mother's Day Mammograms(R). "I founded Mother's Day Mammograms(R) to give other women the same chance to live. Until we find a cure, early detection with a mammogram is a woman's best defense against this devastating disease.

Mammograms are a Pink Life Line to every woman's future." "As the Honorary Chair of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, I encourage every person to ask the special women in their life to take advantage of the free mammograms available through the Mother's Day Mammograms(R) program," said Leslie Anne Miller, General Counsel to Governor Edward Rendell and PBCC Honorary Chair. "Breast cancer is a family health issue and we know that by working together we can save lives." "We're so pleased to help spread the message that mammograms save lives," said Lisa Laudermilch, Commerce Bank Regional Vice President. "Early detection by a mammogram is a woman's best defense against breast cancer.

As Mother's Day Mammograms(R) corporate sponsor, Commerce Bank encourages women to visit one of our stores for more information and to call the number provided to schedule a mammogram today." "Too many diagnosed cases of breast cancer and deaths could have been prevented with an early mammogram," said Dr. Calvin Johnson, Secretary of Health of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. "Today reminds us that we need to ensure that women are informed about the benefits of getting regular mammograms and protecting their health." "Mother's Day Mammograms(R) is a life-saving program that offers women 40 and older the best means of detecting breast cancer in its earliest stages, when their chances of recovery and survival are the greatest," said Pat Halpin-Murphy, President & Founder of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.

Mother's Day Mammograms(R) is a nationally recognized, award-winning program most recently honored by the Board of Sponsors of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a "Profiles in Progress" Award. Charlotte Asherman, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, founded Mother's Day Mammograms(R) in 1990. The PBCC, founded in 1993, is a nonprofit organization and the only statewide grassroots organization that speaks to and for breast cancer survivors.

This year, more than 12,000 Pennsylvania women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. More than 2,300 will lose their lives to the disease. The PBCC's mission is to find a cure for breast cancer and to improve the quality of breast cancer education, research and outreach in the state. For more information on Mother's Day Mammograms(R), pick up a brochure at any Central PA Commerce Bank, visit the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition website at http://www.pabreastcancer.org or call toll free 1-800-377-8828.