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Community Corner

McMahon Foundation Donates $1Million for Greenwich Hospital Breast Cancer Detection Equipment

The Greenwich Hospital Foundation announced Tuesday that Greenwich resident Linda McMahon has given a $1 million gift through the Vince & Linda McMahon Family Foundation to purchase 3-D mammography machines, the most advanced technology available for early breast cancer detection.

The machines are located at the Greenwich Hospital Breast Center, at the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich, as well as at the hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging Center in Stamford. The Breast Center is a national leader in early breast cancer detection, with patient survival rates of 99%, 96.1% and 89.6% among Stages O, I, and II patients, respectively. These rates far surpass the national average at each stage, according to a statement issued by the hospital.

“Linda’s generosity has propelled the Breast Center into the next generation of early diagnosis and patient care,” said Greenwich Hospital President and CEO Frank A. Corvino said in the statement. “Her gift is not just a gift to the Hospital, but also to the nearly 18,000 patients we screen annually. We are thrilled to be able to extend our care in such a meaningful way.”

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Three-dimensional mammography takes conventional 2-D images along with 15 images in an arc, which are then reconstructed into one mm slices. The radiologist can then scroll through the images one slice at a time, in additional to looking at the conventional 2-D images. This technology has been shown to increase breast cancer detection by as much as 33% and to reduce the need for additional imaging by 10-20%.

McMahon, the co-founder and former CEO of the Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment, has been recognized for her community and charitable contributions. She recently received both the Humanitarian Award from the Catholic Big Sisters & Big Brothers of New York City and the Spirit of Hope Award from Liberation Programs in Norwalk.

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She was inspired to make her gift to Greenwich Hospital after learning about the work of the center and its commitment to patient-centered diagnostics as championed by its medical director, Dr. Barbara A. Ward.

“The Greenwich Hospital Breast Center has set a national standard for early detection, and these machines will increase its ability to support patients in the best possible way,” McMahon said in the statement. “My hope is that this new technology, administered by the compassionate experts at Smilow Cancer Hospital’s Greenwich Hospital Campus, will ensure that we are doing all we can to aggressively identify and treat this all-too-prevalent disease.”

“Ms. McMahon’s gift is a powerful example of compassion in action,” said Ward. “Her generosity has enabled us to convert our mammography equipment to 3-D technology and, in doing so, offer every patient cutting-edge diagnostics.”

A plaque dedication ceremony for the tomography machines will be scheduled.

For more information about the Breast Center at the Greenwich Hospital Campus of the Smilow Cancer Hospital, visit www.greenwichhospital.org/ or call (203) 863-3000.

 

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