CARY (April 12, 2007)  Wake Radiology Oncology Services has signed on as a platinum sponsor for this year’s Pretty in Pink golf tournament, scheduled for Thursday, June 21 at Devil’s Ridge Golf Club in Holly Springs. The annual fundraiser goes to support the not-for-profit foundation, which helps pay for medical treatment for underinsured women undergoing breast cancer treatment. The daylong event, which costs $65 a person, will feature an 18-hole Superball round, with breakfast and lunch provided to golfers. Participants are asked to wear pink to show their support of all women who are fighting breast cancer in the community.

Last year, breast cancer claimed the lives of 42,000 people in the United States, said Andrew Kennedy, MD, co-director, Wake Radiology Oncology Services, and Pretty in Pink board member. Pretty in Pink is a growing not-forprofit that our practice has chosen to support because the funds they raise make an immediate impact on a woman’s life. We need others to get involved with this locally based, small nonprofit as they work to raise funds that have a direct, lifesaving impact in our community.

Thanks to the support of businesses and medical providers like Wake Radiology Oncology Services, we’ll make a difference in more women’s lives this next year, explained Deanna Figgins, executive director, Pretty in Pink. It’s devastating news to be told that you have breast cancer, but it’s even worse when you don’t have health insurance to cover the cost of treatment. With increased funding from our generous sponsors, we can help pay for treatment and alleviate the financial stress that many women face while they are fighting breast cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. More than 211,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and nearly 42,000 will die from the disease. It is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women age 15 to 54; the second cause of cancer deaths age 55 to 74. However, the disease has a 90 percent five-year survival rate, if caught and treated in its early stages. For more information on the Pretty in Pink Golf Rally, call (919) 557-2206.

About Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink was founded in 2004 by a Raleigh breast cancer surgeon, Lisa Tolnich, MD, after she began offering her services for free to women who had either delayed breast cancer treatment or who were considering interruption of treatment because of no insurance coverage. Dr. Tolnich formed the not-for-profit foundation after finding the need was greater than she alone could solve. Many area physicians and hospitals participate in Pretty in Pink by offering services to underinsured women at reduced costs. The foundation’s goal is to serve more economically disadvantaged women who need help in paying for breast cancer treatment. Pretty in Pink is funded primarily through the generosity of individuals, physicians, hospitals, businesses, grants and fundraising events. For more information about Pretty in Pink, call Deanna Figgins at 919-280-8858 or online at www.prettyinpinkfoundation.org