Dr. Dino’s Bagels & Boobs

I don’t always practice what I preach. Regular mammograms, for instance. Last year I realized I had skipped a few, so I decided to turn my procrastination into an opportunity to reach out to those of my patients guilty of the same thing.

I made arrangements with my hospital to monopolize half their schedule one Saturday morning, put flyers up in my office and talked it up like crazy to every eligible woman I saw. On the appointed day, I brought a whole bunch of bagels, half a dozen spreads (I asked the ladies to bring their own coffee), and we proceeded to have a blast! Or as much fun as you can have getting your boobs squished. Hey; it’s all in the name of early detection.

Last year’s final tally was a bakers dozen (twelve patients plus me), out of which about 5 people were called back for more views (mainly those with old films not readily available from other institutions), 2 benign biopsies were done, and one case of invasive breast cancer was diagnosed and treated. Not bad, I thought.

Now it’s time for the Second Annual Dr. Dino’s Bagels & Boobs. Yes, that’s what I call it: I bring the bagels, everyone else brings the…rest. It’s going to be next Saturday, June 25th, 2011, from 9:00 to 11:00 am. Any female patients of mine between the ages of 50 and 70 who happen to be reading this who have either never had a mammogram or haven’t had one for a long time are welcome to call the office and come join us. Women who aren’t my patients (or who may want to be) but who are due or overdue for their mammogram AND who are sufficiently local are also welcome. (Drop me an email at the address on the sidebar.)

I find it especially poignant to be making this announcement today, of all days; it has been exactly twenty-five years since my mother died of breast cancer. I can’t think of a better way to honor her memory.