Latest news with #CarolTaylor
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Woman who uses wheelchair turned away from mammogram appointment
Advice given to all women between 50 and 74 resonated with Carol Taylor. As a quadriplegic on the other side of 50, she takes a proactive approach to her health. So she recently booked a screening mammogram expecting a simple procedure. It turned out to be anything but. When she made the appointment with Lumus Imaging, a private imaging service on the Gold Coast, she said she explained her disability and let them know she used an electric wheelchair. Just days before the scheduled scan, Ms Taylor said she received a call telling her it had to be cancelled because she wasn't able to stand with assistance. "Standing for me is something I haven't done for 23 years," she said. Ms Taylor acquired her spinal cord injury in a car accident. She is paralysed from her chest down and has paralysed hands, but the lawyer, artist and world's first quadriplegic fashion designer will tell you it doesn't stop her from doing much. Accustomed to advocating for herself, she got on the phone to book the mammogram she knew she was entitled to. With help from her husband, Robert, she attended Breast Screen Queensland's clinic, where she had her scan quite easily. Kirsten Pilatti from Breast Cancer Network Australia said all women deserved access to screening but said women with disability did not always have a positive experience. "This is not the first time we have heard that people with disabilities have felt traumatised, isolated and even shamed with breast screening," she said. Three weeks after her mammogram, Ms Taylor was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. Although aggressive, her cancer was caught early, so with chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments, her prognosis is good. The possible outcome of delaying her mammogram was not lost on her. "Imagine discovering it at stage four," she said. Ms Pilatti said early detection saves lives. Dr Phil Lucas, CEO of Lumus Imaging, said the company takes patient care and accessibility very seriously. He said women who use wheelchairs can have mammograms at all of its sites, but some might have to book at particular locations for other scans, such as ultrasounds. "We are reviewing our screening and service protocols to identify where we can better support people with disabilities who need to undertake imaging services," he said. "As part of that focus, we will deliver training where necessary." Data shows access to cancer screening can be a matter of life or death for people with disability. Research Fellow at Melbourne University's Disability Institute, Dr Yi Yang, analysed global data about cancer rates among people with disability. She said people with disability faced inequalities during the entire process, from screening, through diagnosis and treatment. "What we found for breast cancer is that people with disability are more likely to miss out on breast cancer screening that can help with early detection," she said. "People with disability are also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage for breast cancer, which all leads to consistently lower survival rates." BreastScreen Australia, and the state-based programs that deliver the service, all provide information about accessibility for people with disability. They list accessible locations and the ways people can be assisted, including extended appointments, sign language interpreters and allowing support people to accompany patients. However, many also clearly state possible barriers to having a mammogram. Ms Taylor said Australia's breast screen program currently took a "patchwork" approach to offering information and screening to women who use wheelchairs. "That can only result in negative impacts for early detection and survival rates," she said. A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said the BreastScreen Australia National Accreditation Standards required services to meet the needs of women with a disability by ensuring physical access for women in wheelchairs, longer appointments were available and staff were appropriately trained. They also said if a woman with disability was unable to undergo a mammogram, she should be encouraged to discuss other screening options with her GP. A spokesperson for Queensland Health said BreastScreen Queensland strove to reduce barriers for people with disabilities and support their full participation in screening. BreastScreen NSW said women who use a wheelchair could have their mammogram while seated and if their wheelchair was unable to be effectively positioned for the X-ray, they could be transferred to a more suitable wheelchair. Ms Taylor has just completed her fourth round of chemotherapy. She's lost her hair and become acquainted with the fog of "chemo-brain", but she isn't letting it slow her down. Throughout her treatment, she has posted videos online to encourage others to have regular checks.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Law Enforcement Torch Run in Decatur raises money, awareness for Special Olympics
May 17—Logan Mortensen, investigator for the Morgan County Sheriff's Office, found a place in the crowd among other officers and runners at the starting point of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run in Decatur on Friday that benefits the Special Olympics. "It's for a good cause, and it's also good exercise," said Mortensen, 27, from Somerville. "It's for all the people out there with special needs; it's honoring them. ... We love when everybody participates for this cause." Started in 1981 in Wichita, Kansas, the Law Enforcement Torch Run sees more than 97,000 law enforcement members across all 50 states carry the torch, called the "Flame of Hope," into the opening ceremonies of local Special Olympics competitions. With the support of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Torch Run has become the largest public awareness and fundraising group for the Special Olympics. Former Decatur police Chief Ed Taylor, who died last year, is credited with bringing the Torch Run to Morgan County and it is done in his honor. His wife, Carol Taylor, was at the event with their son Lane Barnes, who has participated in the Special Olympics, selling T-shirts. Taylor said her husband loved the Special Olympics program. "He has done things like a fundraiser where they'd go up on the roof of Walmart and stay up there until they raised a certain amount of money," she said. "He was up there one night, and I was at home in bed asleep, of course. There was a horrible storm. I mean it was thunder and lightning — a take-cover kind of storm. I thought I should really call him and tell him to come down. "And then I thought, that's useless because he's not moving." Taylor said all the local law enforcement are family. "It's an honor to just be here. It's just a wonderful, wonderful thing. ... It was a good group. I'm happy to see them all participating. It's good to see the Special Olympics program grow," Taylor said. "My son Lane has benefited so much from that program. I couldn't begin to tell you what the Special Olympics has done for him." There were T-shirts for sale for runners and anyone else interested. About 50 T-shirts were sold at $20 each, raising about $1,000 for the Special Olympics. There were about 25 runners with the torch on Friday. A Morgan County Sheriff's Office patrol car activated its sirens and lights ahead of the group, while two more plus a Decatur Police Department patrol car followed behind. "We love supporting our special Olympiads, and the Special Olympics is close to law enforcement," said Morgan County Sheriff Ron Puckett. "We want to partner with them, and we've done that for many, many years. So, having the opportunity to do that again this year is a great reward for us." Interim Decatur Police Chief Nadis Carlisle said fundraising is just one of the good things that comes from the Torch Run. "It means that we get to celebrate those who may be challenged somewhat," he said. "We give them things to do; we give them sports." — or 256-340-2460.
