When Nancy Dickson, wife of retired Col. Carroll Dickson, put her mind to helping others, she was unstoppable, recalled retired Col. Al Buck, president of the Madigan Foundation. That is why it should come as no surprise to any who knew her that her efforts are still being felt, even after her death.

The Madigan Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting patients, staff and their families at the Madigan Healthcare System, as well as supporting programs at the McChord Field Clinic and Bremerton Naval Hospital, was lucky to have Dickson on its board for a number of years.

So when the dedicated Army wife sadly lost her own battle to cancer in 2009, friends and family knew how close the Madigan Foundation was to her heart. In lieu of flowers, donations were made to the non-profit. Those donations, which, according to Buck, were plentiful, have exceeded the cost of purchasing and installing two state-of-the-art breast cancer awareness kiosks. 

The kiosks, which were unveiled on Sept. 7, are permanent installations within the hospital and are intended to provide patients with a more elegant and engaging form of education, as opposed to a pamphlet. They provide information about the importance of regular breast cancer screening and early detection, as well as a computerized module of questions to gauge users' knowledge about mammograms and their own health habits.

"While these are permanent, they are not static," Buck explained. "That is to say that they are up for good to benefit patients, but things (such as location and signage) can change as needed and as the feedback dictates."

Presently, there are two kiosks in place, with one in the main Medical Mall pharmacy and the other down one floor inside the OB/GYN area.

The Madigan Foundation has already proposed an additional two kiosks, perhaps to be focused on education and prevention related to prostate cancer. The foundation will also fund these with money donated on behalf of Dickson.

Plaques dedicating the two kiosks to the memory of Nancy Dickson will be installed later this month.