State Senator Debbie Mayfield – Mayfield Minutes – National Breast Cancer Awareness Month 10/06/24

Oct 6 2024

State Senator Debbie Mayfield – Mayfield Minutes – National Breast Cancer Awareness Month 10/06/24

Good Morning!

National Breast Cancer Awareness month is recognized in October annually. Sadly, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point during their lifetime. This devastating disease remains the most common cancer among women, accounting for 32% of newly diagnosed cancers.

Although unprecedented treatment achievements have been made and despite the tireless and conscientious efforts of doctors, researchers, and non-profit organizations, the disease continues to impact families across the nation. According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, “About every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.”

In 2024, an estimated 42,250 women and 530 men in the United States will lose their lives to breast cancer.

While these statistics are grim, there is hope. Many advancements in research, prevention, early detection, and treatment are providing affected women a bright light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Improvements in early detection and treatment contributed to a 42% decline in the breast cancer death rate from 1989-2021
Over four million women have survived breast cancer in the United States

The Florida Department of Health (FLDOH) recommends that all women over the age of 50 get a mammogram once every two years.

To determine if you are eligible for a free or low-cost exam through the Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, call (321) 454-7131.

I consider it a great honor to represent District 19. Please share this link with your friends and family so they too, can sign up for the Mayfield Minute.

If you or someone you know needs my assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office. My staff and I are here to serve you!

Statewide Update

Governor DeSantis Announces Emergency Management Warning in Advance of Tropical Storm Milton

On Saturday, October 5th, Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order (EO) 24-214, an Emergency Management action, regarding the newly formed Tropical Storm Milton. The Executive Order covers 35 Florida counites including Brevard and Indian River.

Tropical Storm Milton, the 13th named storm in the 2024 hurricane season, has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and is estimate to become a major hurricane before hitting Florida next week.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, as of Saturday at 5:00 p.m., Tropical Storm Milton is forecast to intensify while moving northeastward toward Florida’s Gulf Coast and could make landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane or stronger.

The National Hurricane Center reported Saturday afternoon. Milton strengthened from a depression into a tropical storm within just hours, reaching sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. This storm is developing rapidly.

Please visit floridadisaster.org regularly for the latest information and follow this link to “Know Your Zone” as evacuations may be declared.

Hurricane Helene Update and How You Can Help

Governor DeSantis announced that all school districts as of October 3rd are now operational. Unfortunately, at the time of this report, 16,413 Floridians remain without power. Power has been restored to 2,386,942 residents who were without power due to Hurricane Helene.

Tragically, over 230 people have lost their lives due to the storm’s destruction in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

How You Can Help:

Last week, Governor DeSantis launched Operation Blue Ridge, through the Florida Division of Emergency Management, to rescue Floridians stranded or strapped in Western North Carolina. If you know of someone who needs rescue assistance, complete this formor call 1-800-467-7144 during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The Florida Disaster Fund (FDF) is the state’s private fund overseen by Volunteer Florida. The FDF was initially established to provide financial assistance to our communities as they respond to and recover from disaster emergencies.

If you are interested in contributing to the Florida Disaster fund, click here.

President Trump has also set up a www.gofundme.com account to support Hurricane Helene victims.

Additionally, the Red Cross is accepting donations. For more information, click here.

AG Moody Announces “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2024”

Last week, Attorney General Ashley Moody and 11 other state Attorneys General called on Congress to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2024.

According to a release by AG Moody’s office, the destruction and life-threatening conditions caused during Hurricane Helene shows that bipartisan protections for AM radios in vehicles are critical—as electric vehicles and other new vehicles are being manufactured without the vital communication devices.

“Following devastation and loss in Florida and across multiple states in the wake of Hurricane Helene, it has never been clearer how vital it is to protect access to AM radio. I have personally heard on-the-ground stories of Floridians who lost power, access to internet and cellphone service during storms, including Hurricane Helene. AM radio signals remained functional. We must ensure access to AM radio signals; lives depend on it,” said AG Moody.

Attorneys General from Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia have joined in this initiative.

Read the full letter here.

Agency Highlight

Florida Department of Health

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) is led by the Florida Surgeon General, Joseph D. Ladapo, MD, PhD. Dr. Ladapo is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the state’s chief medical expert.

DOH was first created by the state’s legislature in 1996, and the role of Surgeon General has existed since 2007. The mission of the agency is to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

One of the important functions of the department is to conduct research into public health concerns and report on the findings. These reports can include statistics on annual cancer diagnoses, violent death rates, behavioral risk factors, and a variety of environmental health factors. This data is provided at both the state and county levels to inform Floridians and community leaders on threats to public health.

The DOH also has dedicated programs and resources targeting specific health issues and demographics. To explore each program individually, click here. In addition to making these resources available to the public, the department also manages public health campaigns with the goal of informing citizens about what they see as the most critical health issues. Recent examples of public health campaigns include Tobacco Free Florida, Bright Expectations, and Cancer Connect.

I am proud to have been appointed by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo to Florida’s Cancer Connect Collaborative. It is an honor to serve on this board, which is organized in partnership with the DOH and the Agency for Healthcare Administration. The Cancer Connect Collaborative was designed to be an expansion of Florida Cancer Connect to analyze and rethink Florida’s approach to combating cancer.

DOH also provides and oversees licensure for all healthcare professionals in the state. These professional licenses cover a wide variety of fields including doctors, nurses, massage therapists, and many other careers in health care. They also provide the licenses for the state’s regulated medical facilities. Click here to learn more about each type of license the department offers, to verify a provider’s license, to apply for licensure, or to file a complaint against a provider.

DOH also helps Floridians request important documents including certificates for birth, death, marriage, and divorce. They can also assist with filling out the necessary forms to make any amendments to these documents. An example of this would be amending a birth certificate to reflect a legal name change or an adoption.

To provide services locally, each of Florida’s 67 counties has their own health department overseen by the DOH. If you need to visit or contact the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County, click here for a list of their offices and services.

Constituent of the Week

Our Constituent of the Week is Shelly Gardner, a three time cancer survivor — one time breast cancer, two times Leukemia.

Ms. Gardner was raised in Waynesville, Illinois, a small farming community in the Midwest. She began working in the farming industry at the age of 12 and she credits the experience for her strong work ethic to this day.

After high school, she attended Illinois State University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. After college, she served as a Financial Controller for the Smurfit-Stone Corporation, Nestlé, and LIN Media.

Ms. Gardner moved to Brevard County in 2010. She is the co-founder of Thermography of Brevard which is the only medical thermography practice specializing in breast cancer screening in Brevard County. Thermography of Brevard has been in business for eight years.

Thermography is not only for breast cancer detection. Thermography can detect dysfunction and physiological changes throughout the body, including thyroid dysfunction, liver, kidney, spleen, esophagus, uterus, ovaries, inflammation in the carotid arteries, systemic inflammation, DVT, and more.

Unfortunately, Ms. Gardner’s personal health care journey began with her own breast cancer diagnosis in her mid-30’s. She knows firsthand the hardships that cancer can cause — extended hospital stays, chemotherapy, job loss, and additional complications including heart failure, renal failure, early menopause/infertility, and neuropathy.

Her illness did not end there, she was later diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia twice, the first time while pregnant with her daughter, Tegan, who she refers to as her miracle child. Ms. Gardner and Tegan had a lengthy fight at birth but both are thriving now almost 12 years later.

Sadly, Ms. Gardner has stated publicly, “I should not be alive with the things I have endured but attitude, faith, and purpose can never be underestimated.”

Due to her consistent illnesses, Ms. Gardner has been unable to work full-time, however she continues to serve the community and as a volunteer for the cancer support groups, Making Strides of Brevard and Making Strides of the Florida Keys. She also helps teaching at the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University at Calvary Chapel in Melbourne.

In 2019, Ms. Gardner founded Stop the Pink, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit, with a mission to offer women experiencing financial hardship in Indian River and Brevard County access to thermography. She says thermography is painless, non-invasive, radiation free and compression free. Breast thermography has an average sensitivity and specificity of 90%. Also, thermography has the added benefit of detecting the first signs that cancer may be forming up to 10 years before any other procedure can detect it.

“I feel passionate about educating women on preventing breast cancer,” stated Gardner. “I believe prevention is better than detection and want no woman to have go through what I have endured.”

For more information, contact Gardner at [email protected] or 321-345-0407 or on the web at www.StopThePink.org.

SD 19 is grateful for Ms. Gardner’s compassion, experience, and empathy in sharing her personal story and her launching of Stop the Pink for other women in our community and beyond.

District Highlights

Cocoa Beach Chamber of Commerce – Best in Florida

At the annual conference of the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals, the Cocoa Beach Chamber was named as the best in the state in the category of $500,000 – $1,000,000 in annual operating budget.

“What an amazing honor for our Chamber and community. The Cocoa Beach Chamber is truly an exceptional organization,” said Skip Marsh, CFO of Community Health Services at Health First.

Congratulations to the Cocoa Beach Camber for a well deserved recognition.

Community Foundation for Brevard Recently Awarded Over $400,000 in Grants

The Community Foundation for Brevard (CFB) provides funding to non-profit organizations services and resources for causes and initiatives which benefit animal protections, arts and culture, education, the environment, health and wellness communities, senior care, disability services, and many other philanthropic organizations.

“We are proud to support this year’s grant recipients whose work will bring impactful change to Brevard,” said Donna Sewell, Director of Philanthropy for the CFB.

Ms. Sewell went on to say that the grants represent the generosity and vision of individuals and families committed to building a stronger, more compassionate community to provide opportunities for all.

The CFB has donated more than $30 million over the last 43 years in support of Brevard non-profits.

Some of the organizations receiving these generous awards are 211 Brevard, Inc., Aging Matters in Brevard, Brevard Cultural Alliance, Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Inc., Brevard Zoo, Candlelighters of Brevard, Inc., the Early Coalition of Brevard, Helping Seniors of Brevard County, Inc., the Children’s Hunger Project, Titusville Playhouse, weVenture Women’s Business Center at FIT, and the Women’s Center of Brevard, among many other deserving non-profits.

If your are interested in participating in 2025 Competitive Grant process, please call 321-752-5505 for more information.

Melbourne High School Football Celebrates 100th Season

Melbourne High School played their first football game on October 3, 1925 according to Martin Cagney, historian of the program.

In addition to celebrating their 100th season, the Bulldogs will play their 1,000th game in school history on Thursday, October 10th at Lyman High School in Longwood.

“Having 100 years here and having that all take place is huge, because now we’re recognizing our heritage, and at the same time, we’re showing that there’s a future,” said Melbourne Head Coach David Kintigh.

“I think the milestones mean quite a bit,” Kintigh said. “I think they (the players) were shocked at first, because none of them really knew what was happening or going on. Now that they’re starting to look at it, it’s like ‘Hey, wow.’ They are part of a century. They are in the first century of this high school’s football program.”

To learn more about the iconic legacy of the Melbourne High School football team and their upcoming schedule, click here.

Upcoming Events

Monday, October 7th is the Last Day to Register to Vote in the November Election

The deadline to register to vote in the 2024 General Election is Monday, October 7th. Voter registration books must close 29 days before each election.

To register to vote using the State of Florida’s Online Voter Registration System click here.

Voter registration requires a valid Florida Driver License or State ID.

If you prefer to register to vote in person, you can print, sign, and return this document to any of the four Supervisor of Elections administrative offices.

Also, the deadline to request a mail ballot for the 2024 General Election is Thursday, October 24th by 5:00 p.m. You can request your mail ballot online here.

If you have any questions or are in need of assistance, please contact my office at 321-409-2025.

Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida Event on the Space Coast

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida will be hosting a Join Me: Faces of the Future breakfast on Friday, October 11th from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Space Coast Convention Center (301 Tucker Lane) in Cocoa.

The event is free of charge but an RSVP is required to Erin Harvey at [email protected] or 407-625-4668. The event is expected to reach capacity and BGCCF wants to ensure everyone interested in attending has a seat.

Organizers describe the event as a brief program where attendees will meet the “faces of our community’s future and leave with a heart full of hope and inspiration.”

Boo in the Zoo

Each weekend during the month of October, the Brevard Zoo (8225 North Wickham Road) in Melbourne will be hosting their annual Halloween-themed event, Boo in the Zoo.

The event is from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday throughout the month. Attendees are invited to wear Halloween costumes and they can have their faces painted, enjoy trick-or-treat activities, and view the animals.

Each weekend will also include different performances by local artists. Click here for more information.

Regular admission to the zoo is the only cost to attend. Ticket prices are currently $32.95 for adults and $21.95 for children ages 11 or under. To purchase a ticket, click here.

26th Annual Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival

There will be a festival of independent short films taking place from Thursday, October 17th through Saturday, October 19th. The showings will be held at the Premiere Theatres Oaks 10 (1800 West Hibiscus Boulevard) in Melbourne.

The Matinee on Saturday will feature only films made locally in Florida, and there will be a “Rising Star” segment highlighting young filmmakers in Florida. All profits from the festival will be donated directly to the No Limits Academy, a non-profit Christian School for physically disabled children ages six to 21.

Click here to view ticket packages. The schedule of films that will be presented is available here.

Mathew’s Hope to Hold Fall Vintage Market

Mathew’s Hope will be hosting a vintage market at the Trinity Oaks Event Venue (830 Forrest Avenue) in Cocoa on Saturday, October 12th from 4:00 p.m.to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 13th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This market is free to attend and will include access to over 50 local vendors selling vintage goods. Live music performances and food and drinks will be available.

For more information, click here.

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