BFMC Event Emphasizes Breast Cancer and Genetics

GREENFIELD — In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Baystate Regional Cancer Program and Mammography Services at Baystate Franklin Medical Center will present its 10th annual Evening for Women, “Coping, Surviving & Thriving,” on Oct. 12 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens, 281 Greenfield Road (Routes 5 & 10), South Deerfield.

The program is sponsored by the Rays of Hope Walk Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer in collaboration with Franklin County Home Care Corp. (Women’s Health Network Grant).

The keynote speaker for the evening is Kim Grace, MS, a board-certified genetics counselor with 20 years of experience. In her current role as regional medical specialist with Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Grace educates and supports health care providers who identify and manage patients at risk for (or diagnosed with) hereditary cancer syndromes. She will explain the science involved in genetic testing and how those at risk are identified.

A graduate of Cornell University, Grace received her degree in genetic counseling from the University of Cincinnati. Her 20 years of experience include clinical work with patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Virginia Baptist Hospital and Eastern Virginia Medical School. She had genetics research experience at the Harvard Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair, and held a position in public health with the Center for Disease Control’s Diabetes Education program through the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

The free program will include hors d’oeuvres, dessert, a cash bar, butterfly viewing, and a choice of Reiki, massage, hand treatments (by Franklin County Technical School cosmetology students), or bone-density assessment. There will be free raffles, and the 2011 porcelain breast-cancer awareness ornament will be introduced.

Now in its 18th year, Rays of Hope will take place in Springfield (Forest Park) and Greenfield (Energy Park) on Oct. 23. For more information on Rays of Hope or to register for the walk, visit baystatehealth.org/raysofhope.

Pre-registration for an Evening for Women is required, and space is limited. To register, call Baystate Health Link at (413) 773-2454 or (800) 377-4325.