Brewers help raise breast cancer awareness in visit to Aurora patients

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Brewers players as well as some of their significant others visited breast cancer patients, doctors and nurses to raise awareness of breast cancer ahead of Mother's Day.

Brewers' pitchers Hoby Milner and Erick Lauer were joined by Lauer's girlfriend Emily Dobbin, Michelle Counsell -- the wife of Brewers' manager Craig Counsell, and Jonie Woodruff, a former nurse and wife of pitcher Brandon Woodruff.

"Oh my goodness, every patient we talk to has been so positive and they said their whole experience here has been amazing," Woodruff told reporters. "They rave about the doctors and the nurses and the hospital and everything."

"Just to bring smiles to people's faces that are going through some tough times, if that's all that we get that's better than nothing and if we can do anything at all, then I'm happy to do it," Milner said.

The visit also comes on the same week as the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommending women should begin getting regular mammograms starting at age 40.

"We are very much in agreement with the updated guidelines but would sometimes push for more screening, not just biennial but annual screening, especially in higher-risk patients," Dr. Nicole Zaramba, a breast surgical oncologist at Aurora West Allis Medical Center said.

Doctors at Aurora said the updated guidelines are important, but also encourage people to talk to their physicians to measure their risk, and potentially get mammograms more frequently.

"Really important that patients always know what their risk is instead of just following a guideline," Dr. Julie Kepple said.

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