Earn Mammo Cup patch by getting mammogram

Southern Nevadans love their Vegas Golden Knights, and now there is a new way to celebrate the team. Just by getting a mammogram this fall, Las Vegas-area women may receive a specially designed Mammo Cup patch to decorate their favorite VGK jersey or anything they choose.

Inspired by the patches worn on team jerseys to celebrate milestones or accomplishments, this new piece of swag was recently unveiled by Comprehensive Cancer Centers and Vegas Golden Knights star defenseman Shea Theodore.

The program, which kicked off Sept. 1, is available to women who get a mammogram at certain Comprehensive Cancer Centers partner locations: Breast Center at Sunrise Hospital Medical Center, Desert Radiology, Desert View Regional Medical Center, Nevada Health Centers Mammovan, Pueblo Medical Imaging; SimonMed Imaging, Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging and Summerlin Hospital Medical Center. The patch will be available only while supplies last.

The Mammo Cup patch is part of Kay’s Power Play, a fund launched in November 2020 for Susan G. Komen Nevada, named in Kay Darlington’s memory. What’s the connection to the Vegas Golden Knights? Darlington was Theodore’s grandmother and a beloved breast cancer patient at Comprehensive Cancer Centers. In fact, she had the opportunity to drop the ceremonial puck at the Nov. 21, 2019, match against the San Jose Sharks and was greeted on the ice by her grandson, who had just recovered from surgery for stage 1 testicular cancer himself.

Theodore felt it important to honor his grandmother’s memory (she passed away in June 2020) with the message that early detection and action can often lengthen patients’ lives, as it did for her. Through the Kay’s Power Play fund, mammograms are provided to those in need as well as the limited-supply exclusive patches.

“I was honored to be part of Kay’s cancer treatment team,” says Rupesh Parikh, medical oncologist and practice president of Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada. “The Mammo Cup patch is such a fitting tribute and provides a unique incentive to get a mammogram. Yes, the pandemic upended many things over the past year and a half, but now it’s time for everyone to take charge of their own health, and scheduling a screening is an easy way to do so.”

Before the pandemic, Nevada already ranked between 8 and 10 percentage points lower than the national average in women getting their annual screenings.

“I have talked to many patients who wished that they had not skipped their mammograms or treatment protocols during the pandemic,” Parikh said. “Now that things are back open, don’t waste any more time. Make that appointment and show off your Mammo Cup patch.”

Visit www.cccnevada.com for an up-to-date list of partners and information on the Mammo Cup patch program.