In recognition of Mother’s Day, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Network is teaming up with Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby and his wife, Molly, to increase awareness of the importance of breast cancer screening.

The Crosbys are currently featured in a public service announcement promoting the importance of screening to detect breast cancer early and save lives. Mason Crosby will also be making a public appearance at Brookfield Square Center Court on Sunday, May 1, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. to discuss the campaign and sign special pink items great for Mother’s Day gifts.

Items available for Mason to sign at the event, which is open to the public and free to attend, include a specially designed greeting card that can be given to loved ones for Mother’s Day and limited edition pink mini footballs. The special Mother’s Day cards will be available for a suggested $5 donation, and the footballs for a $25 donation, to support Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin breast cancer research.

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2016, an estimated 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States, and approximately 61,000 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer). This year, more than 40,000 American women will die from breast cancer. African-American women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age and face a higher risk of dying of breast cancer than others.

"We've all been affected by cancer in one way or another," Crosby said. "And we all have mothers and other women in our lives that are important to us. This is a great opportunity for us to do something that could potentially save their lives. Molly and I encourage every woman to either get screened or tell someone in their lives to get screened, and I hope to see a big crowd in Brookfield on May 1."

Early detection – monthly breast self-exams, combined with regularly scheduled mammograms, and an exam by your provider at least once each year – can dramatically increase your chances of surviving breast cancer. Learn more about guidelines and early detection at froedtert.com/mammogram.

The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin regional health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin. It comprises eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center, Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee; and Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls, and St. Joseph’s Hospital, West Bend.

The health network also includes more than 2,000 physicians across 25 primary and specialty clinical locations representing the collaboration of Wisconsin’s largest multispecialty physician practice with a community-based physician group. The network’s three hospitals have 781 staffed beds, nearly 40,000 annual admissions and more than 900,000 annual outpatient visits.

Froedtert & MCW network physicians have more than 700,000 annual patient visits at its health centers and clinics. For more information, visit froedtert.com.