LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Raiders teamed up with the American Cancer Society to promote early cancer detection during an event Tuesday at the West Las Vegas Library.
The event was part of the NFL’s “Crucial Catch” initiative and the Raiders’ “Tackle Cancer” program.
Screenings and services offered
Nevada Health Centers provided breast cancer screenings through its mobile mammography van. Organizers also offered men’s cancer screenings, skin cancer checks, blood pressure checks and a blood drive.
Sandy Hartman, associate director of community partnerships for the American Cancer Society, said Nevada Health Centers received the NFL Change Grant and provided the mammogram van services at low cost to women across the state.
Hartman said one in eight women are affected by breast cancer every year. She said about 18,000 women in Nevada will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and about 6,000 of those women will die from cancer.
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Survivor circle
The event included a survivor circle, where people affected by cancer shared their experiences.
Hartman said a cancer survivor from Colorado attended after her family drove 60 hours to get there. She said the survivor’s three young children did not know she had breast cancer, and the event gave her the opportunity to tell them and talk to them about awareness.
Players share personal connections
Raiders fullback Connor Hayward said cancer affected his family, and that’s why the event was personal for him.
“My dad passed when I was seven from brain cancer, so it’s just been super important to me always and just always giving back and, you know, being my first year in Vegas, having an event like this, I couldn’t pass it up,” Hayward said.
Running back Mike Washington Jr. said he has friends who survived cancer.
“Never really had any personal [experience with cancer], but I do know a couple people who have survived cancer, a couple close friends. But just being able to be an advocate for a special event like this is amazing,” Washington said.
This is the second year for the event. The American Cancer Society has worked with the NFL on the Change Grant since 2012, screening more than 1.1 million people and providing services and awareness to more than 2.7 million individuals through the grant.
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