A promise goes a long way…but staying healthy calls for a Pinky Swear. The Maurer Foundation, a Long Island-based nonprofit organization that focuses on breast health, recently launched the Pinky Swear Program. This new initiative brings mothers and daughters together with a pledge to take care of their breast health and support one another in doing so.
The effort was kicked off during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October through a partnership with the Nassau County Girl Scouts. The first Pinky Swear Program event, which took place in Garden City on October 9 for scouts and their mothers, was a three-part activity. Beginning with an educational component, Maurer Foundation presenters led a breast health workshop. They explained breast cancer myths, facts, risk reduction practices, and the importance of good nutrition. Silicon breast models were made available to help moms and daughters alike learn proper breast self-exam techniques to help detect breast cancer early, when it is most treatable.
Following this informative session, scouts and their moms took the Pinky Swear Pledge to help prevent breast cancer in their families by exercising, eating right and practicing other healthy lifestyle choices including refraining from smoking and drinking alcohol. Mothers pledged to stay up-to-date with their monthly breast self-exams, yearly mammograms, and other screenings. Daughters agreed to support their moms, to be mindful of their families’ histories of breast cancer and to follow the proactive measures suggested to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
As the final element of the Pinky Swear Program event, participating mothers were asked to spread the word and encourage three other women they know to sign up for the Maurer Foundation’s Alarm Clock service. This free appointment reminder for mammogramsA low dose x-ray picture of the breast that allows a doctor to view glandular tissue and determine the presence of cancer. and breast self-exams helps women stay up-to-date with their screenings despite busy schedules and distractions.
Girl Scouts who completed the program were presented with new Pinky Swear badges signifying their unbreakable promises to their mothers, their families, and themselves. “It is important to remember that our audience is not limited to adult women — girls and teens need to be taught about breast health as well,” stated Maurer Foundation Executive Director Debbie Hecht. “We are thrilled to introduce the Pinky Swear Program as a way to reach both girls and women with life-saving information while building a loving mother-daughter support system.”
For further details on the Pinky Swear Program or the Maurer Foundation’s breast health education programs, please visit www.maurerfoundation.org.
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- Girl Scouts and their moms practice their breast self-exam techniques on silicone breast models at a Pinky Swear Program in Garden City.
