Knights’ Theodore helps launch Kay’s Power Play
Defenseman honors grandmother
Shea Theodore will take the ice for the Golden Knights this season, but the NHL defenseman is also gearing up again for a special power play off the hockey rink that means a lot to him and his family.
With the arrival of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Theodore and Comprehensive Cancer Centers teamed again for a program that provides mammograms to women in need and incentives for women to receive their annual checkup.
Called Kay’s Power Play in the memory of Theodore’s late grandmother, Kay Darlington, who was a breast cancer patient at Comprehensive Cancer Centers, the latest funding is in the amount of $50,000 from a donation by Theodore and $500 per-point pledge on his points during the 2021-22 season.
The fund of Susan G. Komen Nevada has raised nearly $250,000 since its launch in 2020 based on donations from Theodore, Comprehensive Cancer Centers, Golden Knights Foundation and Ford.
It’s geared for women in need, which includes the uninsured, underinsured and patients under 40 years old. It helps those whose mammograms are not covered by insurance get access to screening and diagnostic services that are vital.
The estimated rate of new cases of breast cancer in Nevada is 110 cases per 100,000 women and the estimated breast cancer mortality rate for Nevada is 22 deaths per 100,000 women.
Jon Bilstein, executive director of Comprehensive Cancer Centers, said this is the third year of the partnership with Theodore. He said Theodore’s grandmother was only a patient for a short time but during that period she touched many lives.
“We’re fortunate for the time we had,” Bilstein said. “The fund will help women access breast cancer screening and accessing these funds allows women who are underinsured, potentially uninsured or out of work (to get help). Getting the word out about breast cancer screening awareness is critical. Getting these funds through Kay’s Power Play and Susan G. Komen allows women to have access. It’s critical that we continue to get the word out.”
Within a preventative arsenal, annual mammograms remain perhaps the most vital screening measure, Bilstein said.
“It has been incredible to see the positive impact Kay’s Power Play has made thus far, and through Susan G. Komen, we plan to reach many more women in the coming year,” Bilstein said.
Theodore, who recently signed autographs and appeared with patients getting treatment, thanked those brave women who go through breast cancer treatment. He said his grandmother fought breast cancer twice in her life and was able to extend her life by early screening.
“She touched so many people here and back home,” Theodore said. “It was an honor the time we had with her.”
Theodore said his grandmother was a huge influence on his life, and how special it was for her to be in Las Vegas while she was getting treatment and have her honored at a Hockey Fights Cancer game and do the ceremonial puck drop.
“It gives me goose bumps every time I hear her name,” said Theodore, who has dealt with testicular cancer in the past. “That’s how special a woman she was and to have this legacy continue means a lot to myself and my family and everybody who is watching and benefits from it. The more women we can help get screened the more important it is. That’s why I love doing these types of things and spreading the word.”
Kim Frank, president of the Golden Knights Foundation, said when Theodore and Comprehensive Cancer Centers came to them for the partnership, they quickly agreed to support it.
“We love our players and what they do in the community,” Frank said. “It’s so important to women and everyone that they’re screened early and detection is found.”
The Golden Knights will male a donation in November on Theodore’s behalf at the Hockey Fights Cancer game, Frank said.
Megan Klink, a regional vice president with the Susan G. Komen foundation, said they’re grateful to Theodore and Comprehensive Cancer Centers for their ongoing support to increase access for screening and diagnostics for the community.
“This is personal for me,” Klink said. “My mother and grandmother navigated breast cancer, and I have an aunt with metastatic breast can
cer. I want to take a moment to honor Kay and her legacy and the impact of Kay’s Power Play in Nevada. Removing barriers to care is the key part of our mission, and we could not do it without Shea and Kay’s Power Play and Comprehensive Cancer Centers.”
Klink said people need help today, and it’s more critical than ever to provide support to those in need, especially with the additional barriers and burdens as the nation comes out of a pandemic. At Komen, Klink said they have seen a tremendous increase and demand for their services.
“Breast cancer screening and treatment were significantly disrupted during the pandemic, and the economic slowdown continues to add personal financial stress,” Klink said. “Screening delays and cancellations have raised concerns around increased late-stage diagnosis and higher mortality rates.
“Although we have not seen the full impact of this yet, emerging data for the past two years as we have come out of the pandemic are unfortunately reinforcing those concerns. Due to your efforts through Kay’s Power Play, Nevadans are coming back. A local screening partner has reported that we have a 36 percent increase in mammograms and 38 percent increase in ultrasounds during the last 12 months. We know that Kay’s Power Play is here to meet this demand. It truly does save lives.”
Andrew Cohen, radiation oncologist and practice president with the Comprehensive Cancer Centers, said more than 2,500 will be the number of newly diagnosed breast cancer cases in Nevada in 2022, including women under 40. While they’re making progress and advancements in the treatment of breast cancer through surgical techniques, chemotherapy and radiation oncology and now immunotherapy, nothing is more important than screening and mammography for the early detection to get the cancer at their earliest stages before they spread, he said.
“That’s why Kay’s Power Play is so important to us,” Cohen said. “Nevada’s mammography rate is 8 percent below the national average and so we need to get that up. The pandemic has really worked against us with that.”
As part of Kay’s Power Play and to incentivize Southern Nevadan women to have their annual mammogram, a newly designed and limited-edition 2022-23 Mammo
Cup patch will be available at select partner imaging sites throughout the Las Vegas Valley by mid-october, Bilstein said. The Mammo Cup patch is inspired by patches worn on team jerseys to celebrate milestones or accomplishments.
“Last year, we had the patch out in the community with all of our diagnostic imaging providers in town to encourage people to get out and get their mammos,” Bilstein said. “It was cool last year when you went to the Golden Knights games or out in the community that so many women took the patches and put them on jerseys.”
To obtain a Mammo Cup patch, local women need to complete their annual mammogram at a partner site.
Full details on Kay’s Power Play and specific Mammo Cup locations are available at cccnevada.com/kayspower-play.