Thanks to a lot of hard work by dedicated advocates, breast cancer is probably the most recognized disease in America. But like any other condition, it can be difficult to unravel the medical community’s recommendations about screenings to help find the cancer in its early — and more survivable — stages.A 2009 study that recommended raising the age of routine screening from 40 to 50 received a great deal of press, including in this paper. But many doctors (including those at Sharon Hospital) spoke out against that study, urging their patients to continue with routine screenings. The debate is far from over. The March issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology has now disputed the 2009 findings, calling into question the statistics used. (The critique is technical; for more information, go to www.healthimaging.com.)In addition to the traditional mammogram, which is an X-ray of the breast, there are some other options for screening tools.A breast MRI can be done when a mammogram doesn’t provide a clear enough picture. The exam includes the injection of a small amount of a substance that creates contrast, to help identify areas of concern. Breast MRIs are read by a special computer program to assist the doctor in interpreting the test.Ultrasounds are used once a lump has been detected to help determine whether it is a cyst—(fluid-filled) or a tumor (solid). Doctors also use ultrasounds to help determine the location of a lump and to guide them during biopsies.Another screening option is breast thermography. This test uses infrared imaging to detect increased areas of blood flow in the breast. The test uses a camera rather than an X-ray machine, so it is not uncomfortable for the woman undergoing screening. Proponents of thermography claim it can detect smaller cancers than can mammography.So what’s the bottom line? Basically, follow your doctor’s recommendation for screening. Certain risk factors, such as a family history of the disease or race, could lead to a recommendation to begin routine screening at an earlier age or to utilize multiple screening technologies.The radiology department at Sharon Hospital offers a number of resources on its website at www.sharonhospital.com. Of particular interest is a tool at www.cancer.gov that calculates a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer during the next five years.More than anything else, doctors stress that breast cancer is very treatable — some claim that as much as 95 percent of breast cancer is treatable with early detection.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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