Crisco attends Are You Dense? fundraiser in Waterbury

Pictured from left, Julie S. Gershon, M.D., Nancy Cappello, PhD., state Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., and breast cancer survivor Jan Kritzman at MusicFEST Tuesday in Waterbury. /Contributed photo

WATERBURY - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, participated Tuesday in the 8^th Annual ‘Are You Dense MusicFEST’ at The Palace Theatre.

The event was a fundraiser and a celebration of the work that Are You Dense (www.areyoudense.org) does to encourage the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, especially in women with ‘dense’ (less fat and more connective/fibrous and glandular tissue) breasts.

Crisco received the first “Champion of Exposing the Secret Award” from Are You Dense at its 2010 MusicFEST; Crisco has been a national leader in promoting and passing public policy legislation to help detect and treat breast cancer, including breast cancers that are difficult to detect in dense breast tissue.

“We have 27 other states across America that have followed Connecticut’s lead on dense breast tissue thanks to Joe’s great leadership,” said Nancy M. Cappello, executive director and founder of Are You Dense, which was borne out of her own tragedy of an advanced stage breast cancer diagnosis in 2004. 
“Joe Crisco has been a great, great advocate for breast health in Connecticut.”

Among his many accomplishments in the field, Crisco has most recently helped write and pass into law public policies requiring insurance companies to cover an ultrasound or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for women with dense breast tissue, which can obscure cancerous tumors in an otherwise standard mammogram; and requiring insurance companies to pay for a three-dimensional breast mammogram called tomosynthesis which has been shown to detect 40 percent more invasive breast cancers.

“Nancy and her group have been great partners in the fight to provide more and better detection and treatment for breast cancer in women, and I always enjoy the music and camaraderie of like-minded people who are doing good for our mothers and our sisters, our wives and our daughters,” Crisco said. “It was a great night!”

Receiving this year’s Champion Award was Dr. Julie Gershon, a breast radiologist from Avon, for her education campaigns across the state on breast health and the impact of dense breast tissue on missed, delayed, and advanced stage breast cancer. 

Jan Kritzman, a breast cancer survivor turned patient advocate, was presented the Esther Award. 

This is a press release from Crisco's office.