Meet the mobile mammography cheerleaders

“I tell everyone to get genetic testing now. I would’ve made some very different decisions about my life if I’d known this,” she said.

Angela Palmer was diagnosed in 2018 after she fell and broke her shoulder. She was on leave from her job as a home health nurse and decided to take time to get caught up on all her health care assessments. She usually had an annual mammogram, but she hadn’t gotten one that year.

Palmer underwent chemotherapy and radiation and has been in remission for five years.

While at an appointment, she noticed some pamphlets for Baptist programs and began attending a monthly support group at Baptist Women’s Health Center every first Wednesday of the month.

“There are about 30 of us in the group now,” she said. “I wouldn’t know any of these women without Baptist. I’ve learned so much from other survivors, and we’re all so close.”

Breast cancer survivors meet every month to support one another.

Maria Bernadette Williams Johnson is a two-time cancer survivor. She was first diagnosed in 2009 and underwent two lumpectomies, chemotherapy and radiation. Her first mammogram was on the Baptist mobile mammography unit when it came to her employer.

Due to the pandemic and some scheduling conflicts, she did not get her annual mammogram as usual in 2021. She was diagnosed for the second time in November 2022. She had a mastectomy and is currently on a five-year medication treatment.

“With the second diagnosis, I was pretty mopey,” Johnson said. She began attending the support group and found herself surrounded by women who could relate. “We’re all so different,” she said. “We have all ages, races and religions in there, but we all have this thing in common. We sit down and talk and have a wonderful time.”

Elle Coleman, Maria Bernadette Williams Johnson and Angela Palmer met at  Baptist Cancer Center's Women's Breast Cancer Support Group and now regularly volunteer with the mobile mammography unit. 

Queen Cunningham was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2018 at age 36. When she went for genetic counseling, she learned about the cancer support group and began attending.

“I went to the group before I made any decisions about my treatment,” she said. “Meeting those women was the best thing that could’ve happened.”

Because she had a strong family history of cancer, she opted for a double mastectomy. She encountered some other health issues the following year that led to a full hysterectomy.

Today, Cunningham is a regular on the mobile mammography unit— as a mammogram coordinator. In March 2024, she began working for Baptist. She drives the mobile, organizes outreach events and assists with appointments. She loves that she can use her personal experience to help others.

Queen Cunningham prepares a patient for her mammogram.

“A lot of women are so scared that they don’t even want to know if they have cancer,” she said. “I tell them what happened to me and how it’s better to know. I love that we can go into the community and meet them where they are. They don’t have to leave their comfort zone, and they don’t have to worry about transportation. I think if we don’t go to them, many women will never get a mammogram.”

Cunningham celebrated her sixth year of remission on Oct. 11. Every year she holds a big party with loved ones. This year, it was an extra special party — she got married on her remission anniversary.

For more information about Baptist's breast cancer services, please visit baptistpink.org. 

To schedule a mammogram, please call 901-227-PINK.