When Center of Hope partnered with Baptist Health MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2023, it was to support families in the Center’s 32209 service area and expand much-needed access to critical healthcare services — like annual cancer screenings.
So when Jada Hunter, the Center’s Executive Director of Community Reinvestment, got her mammogram on the Buddy Bus and hosted the Pink Party in 2023, she did it to set a good example for staff and community. She couldn’t have realized it was one of the most important things she would do for her health: The screening found a small area that her doctor wanted her to follow up on with another test, which Jada at first put off due to her busy schedule. The follow-up finally confirmed: the tiny area of concern was triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease.
But because it was caught early, one year to the day of her diagnosis, Jada is doing well and her odds of staying alive now are better than 90 percent. Her message for anybody putting off their mammogram — “Fifteen minutes could literally save your life.”
First Coast News Anchor Jeannie Blaylock, an advocate for breast cancer awareness and screening, was on hand for Center of Hope’s Pink Party 2023. She returned on Oct. 2, 2024, to honor Jada’s journey and name her the Buddy Check Champ. Watch the segment at the link here or above.
The Buddy Bus stops at Center of Hope on Oct. 29, 2024. Click here to make an appointment for your mammogram — no walk-in appointments are available at this time.
