The rain did not deter the Beauty In Grace women’s giving circle from celebrating its impact on women’s health services. The group’s annual luncheon, hosted by MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center Foundation, was held at Club 19 at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach on March 14.
Beauty In Grace members raised more than $110,000 to benefit advanced breast MRI technology and equipment for the Sarah & Taylor Nederlander Breast Center in the new Women’s Health Pavilion. The group’s large gift this year will be recognized with the naming of the Beauty In Grace Women’s Giving Circle MRI Lounge.
This year the women’s giving circle consisted of 96 members, the most of any previous year. The Foundation pools the membership gifts of $1,000 or more to make a significant gift to women’s health services at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center.
Since 2015, the women’s giving circle has raised nearly $600,000 for women’s health services at Saddleback Medical Center.
Members and special guests enjoyed appetizers, champagne and mocktails while mingling, and then were seated for a three-course lunch.
A special guest panel included grateful patient Sally Johnson of Monarch Beach, who shared how her breast cancer was discovered in January through an MRI. With a history of cancer on both sides of her family, Johnson had mammograms and MRIs every year. After her diagnosis, she also underwent additional genetic testing to help plan her treatments.
MemorialCare Breast Radiologist Samantha Kubaska, M.D., and Medical Director of Breast Surgical Oncology Amy Bremner, M.D., discussed how, in addition to a 3D mammogram, an MRI helps detect and plan treatment for breast cancer. We also learned the importance of having breast images read by a dedicated breast radiologist.
“For the past 20 years, I’ve only read breast images,” said Dr. Kubaska. “At our Breast Center, we only have fellowship-trained breast radiologists reading our patients’ breast images, and we have specific experience to detect cancer at the earliest stages.”
Breast MRI equipment is also vital when creating a treatment plan, which may include surgery, according to Dr. Bremner.
“MRIs show us the size of a tumor and accurate location,” she said. “They can also be helpful in diagnosing breast cancer though MRI-guided biopsy.”
CEO Marcia Manker highlighted how Saddleback Medical Center is focusing on women’s health by building a 40,000-square-foot Women’s Health Pavilion, currently under construction.
“We designed the Women’s Health Pavilion specifically for women’s needs, for them to have easy access to a range of services in beautiful surroundings,” said Manker. “I have two grown daughters and will soon be a grandmother myself. I want this to be a place where they would find comfort when they seek health care.”
In 2022, Beauty In Grace gifts benefited the Breast Cancer Navigation Program. In previous years, the group has helped fund the renovation of one of the cardiac catheterization labs, purchased bilirubin screening units and a cardiac monitor/defibrillator for the Labor, Delivery, Recovery & Postpartum department, funded cryoablation and MRI equipment for the Breast Center, and video streaming equipment for the NICU so parents can watch their baby from a smartphone.
“When dynamic, philanthropic-minded women come together for a meaningful cause, it’s powerful,” said Christy Ward, president of the Saddleback Medical Center Foundation. “We are making a tangible impact for our patients every day through elevated, personalized care.”
For Beauty In Grace Chair Cathy Han, M.D., a retired OB/GYN, the impact of the group as a whole is so gratifying.
“I am part of a masters women’s rowing team,” Han said. “In crew, it is not always the biggest or the strongest team that wins. Often the key is whether all eight people can row in sync with the same rhythm. I feel the same way about Beauty In Grace. As I see this group of amazing individual women, I am struck by the synergy and collective strength we have when we come together.”
To learn more about Beauty In Grace and become a member, contact Saddleback Medical Center Foundation at (949) 452-3724 or [email protected], or visit memorialcare.org/BeautyInGrace.
