A local breast cancer survivor is turning personal experience into meaningful change for women across Northwest Montana.
Ellen Keesling, who has navigated her own cancer journey, recently led a grassroots fundraising effort to provide specialized robes designed to improve comfort, warmth and dignity during breast imaging appointments. The campaign launched in October 2025 during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in partnership with the Logan Health Foundation.
Through community outreach, including visits to local businesses in Kalispell, Whitefish and Bigfork, the initiative raised more than $5,000. The funds were used to purchase 250 imaging-compatible robes, which have now been donated to the foundation for distribution to Logan Health clinics and its mobile mammography unit.
Unlike traditional hospital gowns, the robes are designed with full coverage and patient comfort in mind. They were carefully tested to ensure compatibility with imaging equipment, using plastic snaps instead of metal to avoid interference with mammography and MRI technology.
For Ellen, the project was deeply personal. Even after completing treatment, she said the anxiety of follow-up screenings remained. The robes aim to ease that experience for others by offering a greater sense of privacy and reassurance during vulnerable moments.
The robes will be distributed to facilities in Kalispell and Whitefish, as well as the Hi-Line and Logan Health’s mobile mammography unit, expanding access to more comfortable imaging experiences for women in rural communities.
Organizers say the project has already had a ripple effect beyond its original goal. Community conversations sparked by the campaign encouraged some women to schedule overdue mammograms, while others were connected to financial assistance resources.
More than just a practical solution, the robes have become a symbol of community support, representing women coming together to care for one another during some of life’s most challenging moments.
If you’d like to support Logan Health’s Breast Cancer patients, please consider a gift to Save a Sister or Carol’s Fund. Donations can be made online at logan.org/donate.