News - Local/State

Saturday, Sep. 06, 2008

Tega Cay breast cancer survivor helps others pay for routine mammograms

TEGA CAY -- Just before last Christmas, Constance Collins got a phone call from a doctor's office that she had been dreading.

"You know, it's not going be good when they tell you, 'Please hold for the doctor,'" said Collins, 47, who was diagnosed that December day with breast cancer. "I guess there's never a good time to get news like that, but let's just say it was a difficult and anxious New Year."

She had surgery in early January and completed 31 sessions of radiation by the end of March. Her doctors say that because of early detection through a routine mammogram, they were able to remove all of the cancerous tissue.

Last winter, she spent a lot of time in physicians' waiting rooms. One afternoon, an overpowering thought struck her.

"I was sitting there looking at all these gals, and I began wondering about their back stories," said Collins, who works part-time as a model and actress and full-time as project administrator for a research firm. "I was having a hard time, but I was making it. I had a supportive husband and family, I had flexibility with my job and I had good health insurance. But I began thinking about all those single moms who don't have insurance and can't afford mammograms."

During her recovery, Collins and eight York County girlfriends -- several of whom are cancer survivors -- were relaxing on her back deck one afternoon. She told them she felt the need to help women less fortunate than they were.

"When you go through something as traumatic as what Constance had, it's only natural to want to try to have something good come out of the experience," said Elizabeth Hartley, who was there that day. "It all started over a glass of Chardonnay on her deck and it just began to snowball from there."

What the women decided to do is raise money to pay for digital mammograms for York County women who can't afford the $200 cost because they are uninsured or underinsured.

"We decided to target women that needed help and we wanted to be able to measure how effective it was at meeting those needs," said Hartley.

The women decided to host a Party in Pink at The Palisades Country Club at Lake Wylie on Sept. 20. The dinner will feature prime rib, live music, dancing, dessert, raffles and door prizes. Tickets are $100 apiece, which also includes a Party in Pink T-shirt and two drink tickets for beer or wine.

Proceeds will go to the Cancer Education, Prevention and Early Detection Center at Presbyterian Hospital. The funds will be earmarked for York County women to get mammograms. Collins said their plans are to make the Party in Pink an annual affair.

There are several levels of sponsorship available, from $250 to $1,000. All contributions are tax deductible. For tickets and other information, call Constance Collins at (803) 547-2194 or Elizabeth Hartley at (704) 608-1807, or e-mail hartleys@-comporium.net or artfulc@yahoo.com