The Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Dallas is encouraging breast cancer screening in the American Indian population.
Tuesday, the American Cancer Society held its "Crucial Catch" initiative, a parternship with the National Football League, at the center.
Kenwin Cummings, a former Dallas Cowboy and member of the Lumbe tribe, spoke to the group.
"I grew in a family full of women. I was the only son. I had four sisters, a mother and a grandmother, and it's been in my family. Breast cancer has affected my family," Cummings said.
Officials at the center say they noticed an increase in women dying from breast cancer and they attribute to lack of screening.
The American Cancer Society has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Urban Inter-Tribal Center of Texas to increase brast cancer screening rates in Dallas.
The center plans to reach uninsured and underinsured women to increase awareness of the importance of having annual mammograms.
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"Statistically, American-Indian women have a lesser chance of getting breast cancer, but most of our women aren't educated enough to understand how important it is for early detection," Cummings said.
