Fri | Mar 29, 2024

JN Money gives 31 women free mammograms

Published:Friday | December 13, 2019 | 12:00 AM
Sanya Wallace, senior manager, strategic planning and marketing at JN Money Services.

Thirty-one women received the opportunity to undergo mammograms as part of an initiative by JN Money Services (JNMS) to increase breast cancer awareness.

The women were given the opportunity to get screened at no cost to them as part of the JN Money Services Free Mammogram-A-Day initiative, which was in support of the Power of Pink Breast Cancer Awareness campaign mounted by The Jamaica National Group.

For Maxine Munroe-Jacques, the opportunity to do a mammogram at no cost could not have come at a better time.

“I did a mammogram before, and I was supposed to do another one because of the cancer history in my family; however, I could not afford it,” she said.

During the month of October, customers were invited to visit the Free Mammogram-A-Day landing page on the JN Money website at www.jnmoneyonline.com, to nominate themselves or a loved one for the opportunity to receive a mammogram courtesy of JN Money.

Munroe-Jacques, who is a hairdresser, added that she was even more grateful for the opportunity because a close relative of hers is currently battling the disease.

“I haven’t done it yet, but I really want to find out if I am at risk because of my relative. Therefore, I am grateful to JN Money because if it is detected early, I will be able to start treating it,” she said.

Project’s aim

Sanya Wallace, senior manager of strategic planning and marketing at JN Money, stated that company undertook this initiative in an effort to increase breast cancer awareness and screening levels among Jamaicans.

“We undertook this aspect of the initiative because it is estimated that although one in 21 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in Jamaica, the number might be higher, given the fact that many persons aren’t screened,” Wallace said.

“Therefore, this was an opportunity for us to encourage more persons to undergo mammograms and to get treated as soon as possible, if diagnosed. More than 2,000 persons were nominated during the month for the 31 available mammograms, and JNMS was pleased to be able to offer this gift to our valued customers,” she added.

Wallace added that apart from the Free Mammogram-A-Day initiative, customers overseas were also invited to make donations to the Jamaica Cancer Society to aid research for a breast cancer cure whenever they visited a JN Money branch in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or the Cayman Islands.

“From those efforts, we were able to raise over $1.1 million. We also donated 50 cents from every transaction conducted via JN Money Online towards the cause. This will form part of the overall donation from The Jamaica National Group to the Jamaica Cancer Society,” the senior manager said.

“We also hosted a series of breast cancer-awareness forums at locations in the UK, USA, Canada, and Cayman, and we distributed Pink Ribbon flash drive loaded with important breast cancer-awareness information to our customers,” she added.

Kay Marie Peart, another JN Money customer who received a free mammogram, said that she was grateful for the opportunity.

“I am getting up in age, and it will soon be time for me to do one. Also, I have never done a mammogram before; therefore, I am happy that I can start this early. I would encourage everyone to get screened because cancer doesn’t discriminate and it can affect anyone,” she added.