4th Annual ``Westside Challenge to Beat Breast Cancer'' Expected to Raise More Than $100,000 to Ace Out Dreaded Disease.News/Entertainment/Sports/Lifestyle Editors & Health Writers LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2001 Breast Cancer Survivors Cancer survivors are those individuals with cancer of any type, current or past, who are still living. The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) pioneered the definition of survivor as from the time of diagnosis and for the balance of life, a person diagnosed with Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll (b. July 17 1935) is an American Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe- and Tony Award-winning actress and singer. Born Carol Diahann Johnson in The Bronx, New York, she attended Manhattan's School of Performing Arts, along with schoolmate Billy Dee Williams. and Nina Nisenholtz Dedicated to Educating Women on Benefits of Early Detection Nina Nisenholtz is one lucky lady. This is not because she has a great job as a talent agent at The William Morris Agency Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency is the largest diversified talent and literary agency in the world, with offices in New York City, Beverly Hills, Nashville, Miami, London, and Shanghai. , or because she is an ace tennis player. It's because in 1995, when she was just 38, she spent a few extra minutes with her doctor, who gave her the best advice in the world: "Get a routine mammogram mammogram /mam·mo·gram/ (mam´o-gram) a radiograph of the breast. mam·mo·gram n. An x-ray image of the breast produced by mammography. ." Shortly thereafter, Nisenholtz was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent the emotional roller coaster What a bad CD-R disc is often called. See CD-R and underrun. of dealing with her diagnosis and treatment -- but she did not let it get her down. Nisenholtz felt like she was one of the lucky ones and approached her cancer the same way she does each game of tennis -- with a positive mind-set, take-charge attitude, and the commitment to win. Like Nisenholtz, actress and singer Diahann Carroll is also a survivor! Diagnosed three years ago with breast cancer, Carroll actively warns American women of the necessity for annual screenings. While Carroll's lump was tiny and invasive, it was her twice-yearly mammogram that saved her life in 1998. And today, both Nisenholtz and Carroll are cancer-free! Four years ago, Nisenholtz founded the "Westside Challenge to Beat Breast Cancer" to show other women that having breast cancer does not have to mean "stop living" -- instead, it can prove to be a new beginning. "Look at me," she said with a laugh. "I'm back on the courts and haven't slowed down one bit! If not for the mammogram, my cancer may not have been detected until it was too late," she added. In addition to providing hope, all proceeds from the "Westside Challenge" benefit the low-cost mammography mammography, diagnostic procedure that uses low-dose X rays to detect abnormalities in the breasts. The early diagnosis of breast cancer made possible by the routine use of mammography for screening women increases a woman's treatment alternatives and improves her screening and educational programs at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located within the city of Santa Monica, California, USA. The hospital was founded in 1926, and has 337 beds. The hospital is also known internationally for operating its Rape Treatment Center, and the adjoining . During the past few years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time Center has provided these services to hundreds of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, women, including more than 50 local women who were screened this summer. In conjunction with the program, low-cost mammograms are now available upon physician referral physician referral A physician's recommendation to a Pt to consult another physician for a 2nd opinion. Cf Self-referral. for women under the age of 40, whose insurance does not cover a screening. "Before my screening and diagnosis, I thought I was exempt because I didn't have any of the obvious risk factors, such as family history and smoking, but now I'm learning that we're all at risk," said Diahann Carroll, Tony-winning actress and Academy Award nominee. "I've realized how lucky I am to have had yearly mammograms, and how dangerous it can be for someone who can't afford them to skip these screenings. The regular screening saved my life," she added. Referring to the importance of the low-cost mammography screening and educational programs benefiting from the event, Honorary Chair, Dr. Leopold T. Avallone said, "Without the `Westside Challenge,' many women would not be provided the assistance they need to fight the second leading killer of American women. Not only does this event provide hope and support for current victims, but it gives their mothers, sisters, and daughters the means to avoid traveling the same path," he added. At the 4th Annual "Westside Challenge to Beat Breast Cancer" on September 22, over one hundred tennis enthusiasts will join Nisenholtz on the courts of the UCLA-Los Angeles Tennis Center from 10:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. to play 50 games in a round-robin format and bid on over 100 silent auction items donated from various companies. This year, organizers project that the "Westside Challenge" will raise more than $100,000 in pledges and auction returns. In addition to the tennis matches and silent auction, younger guests will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities and entertainment including a clown clown, a comic character usually distinguished by garish makeup and costume whose antics are both humorously clumsy and acrobatic. The clown employs a broad, physical style of humor that is wordless or not as self-consciously verbal as the traditional fool or jester. , face painting, and a `Wheel of Fortune.' Immediately following the tournament, a reception and awards presentation will be held in the Straus Clubhouse, adjacent to the Tennis Center, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Although admission to the tournament and family activities are free and parking costs $6, tickets for the reception are $35 and can be purchased by calling (310) 319-4350. Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center is dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of the Westside Community. While featuring several nationally recognized programs and services on its campus, the Medical Center offers a staff of highly skilled physicians and health professionals to provide high-quality, cost-effective care and treatment to local families. Since 1995, the hospital has been affiliated with UCLA Medical Center UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. It is rated as one of the top three hospitals in the United States and is the top hospital on the West Coast according to US News & World Report. , and the Santa Monica-UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital Replacement Project is currently being built on-site as a state-of-the-art medical center. For additional information, visit the website at: www.firsthospital.ucla UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX .edu. Notes to Editors: Media are welcome to attend the Westside Challenge on Sept. 22, 2001. Interviews with Nina Nisenholtz, Dr. Avallone and Diahann Carroll are available upon request. Post-event photographs are also available. |
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