BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - OCTOBER, the month of breast cancer awareness; and while there are persons who are focused on spreading the awareness, many are unaware that there are also support groups and organisations throughout the Federation that provide various types of assistance to those diagnosed with the illness and who are in need.
One such group is the Reach for Recovery Breast Cancer Support Group (RFRBCSG).
Founded in February of 2002, RFRBCSG is this year celebrating ten years of providing financial assistance as well as much needed support and advice to persons who have been diagnosed with the illness.
SKNVibes spoke with the leader of the group Agnes Farrell who gave insights to how it was formed, what they do and how one could gain their assistance if needed.
Farrell, having been a breast cancer survivor herself thought of having a support group “during that time of doing my treatment, because at that time there were no groups of that kind but managed to put the group together”.
"It took me a while because it is not always easy to come out and say 'I have had breast cancer' but after a while, I met with two other ladies that I knew had been to the same place that I had been for treatment in Trinidad and another young lady that someone had asked me to have a talk with because she had just found out she had the cancer as well, so the four of us got together at my home and talked about the disease.
"We promised to meet again and we did and we decided to start with us and form this group because we needed each other. We found that we were able to talk to each other and because three of us had already gone through the ordeal, we were able to give her an idea of what was to come.
"We used to meet and I asked different friends if they knew anyone who had breast cancer or treatment and that is how I started, asking persons to come and join the group. We went along for a while just meeting, and talking and having doctors such as Dr. Mark Hodge coming to talk to us," she explained.
The group, she said, would have little fundraisers in October as it is the month for breast cancer awareness, with the aim of providing financial assistance to persons who needed it because they knew the kind of expense it took to have treatment.
She said that one of the first fundraisers they did was selling lunches on the Bay Road. With the donation of some dishes from various hotel, the ladies set up shop on the Bay Road and sold lunches to passersby.
"At first we did not make much money but we were able to give a little help here and there.
"Funnily enough the very first person we helped was not even a breast cancer patient. Someone had sent her and she came and pleaded and we said 'we don't really have any money you know and we are really a breast cancer group but anyway we will give you a little of what we can afford'. It was for treatment for another type of cancer but we decided cancer is cancer, they are all spelt with a 'C' so if someone comes to us for help, we won't turn them back.
"We were not able to give much at first but as the years went by we were able to do other things. The first big thing we had was a gala dinner at the Lodge Great House. There was a restaurant there at the time where everyone ate and we had a silent auction and we were able to raise funds to help people in a better way," she said.
Farrell said that the group assists persons who have been diagnosed and come to them seeking financial assistance and a support system to help them get through that rough period in their life.
She said all one needs to do is call and arrange to meet with the group, come and show their proof of diagnosis (because anyone can come and say they have cancer and need financial assistance) and they would do their best to assist that person in any way they can.
"We try not only to help them from whatever little funds we have but we also try to help them seek assistance, show them the various channels even to doing a sponsor sheet to seek donations.
"We also give free mammograms sometimes; we would give the person vouchers to go to the doctor for a mammogram.
"We also provide counselling for those in need but to a certain extent. We are not professionals so we cannot counsel persons like that but what we do is provide more of a comfort counselling to them. We encourage them not to give up hope and try to give them peace of mind and a little push when needed," she explained.
She said they have assisted a vast number of persons over the last ten years that they have been in existence, some of whom have become members.
Farrell said there are no men that are members of the support group but that there are men that they can call on if the need arises.
She went on to speak about some of the fundraisers that the group has organised.
She said the group had made it a tradition to go to church on the first Sunday in October and have a walk-a-thon on the last Friday with a luncheon in the middle of the month.
In 2010, they had 'Learn at Lunch' where they asked companies to send at least two of their workers out and the group provided lunch for them and had professionals come in and talk to them about breast cancer, showing them how to check themselves among other things.
Last year October (2011), they had 'Faces of breast cancer' where they went to two different churches and had at least three of their survivors give their testimony about their struggle with the illness. They also gave away free mammograms.
In September of this year Reach for Recovery hosted Shades of Pink, which Farrell said was one of their most successful fundraisers. It was a concert focusing on youths which was in keeping with the Independence theme.
This month, the RFRBCSG has set up shop on Fort Street right next to Digicel and they have a number of pamphlets, and flyers on display all containing information about breast cancer.
They also have a number of pins, vases, refrigerator magnets, bracelets, pens among a host of other items on display at the location and for a donation of any amount one may choose their item of choice to help create awareness.
The group also has professionals come in and from 2:00 p.m. daily persons could come in and get their breasts checked and learn how to do self checks.
Farrell said that the traffic for the checks has been great so far.
She stressed that Reach for Recovery is a support group and not an organisation as persons tend to mix the two.
"We are a support group here to support one another and for supporters to come and join us because sometimes we are not too well and we cannot do the things that persons who have never been through Chemotherapy can do, so there would be times when we cannot do what we need to."
She went on to speak excessively about the importance of one having health insurance as the financial assistance sometimes become necessary especially when one has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I want to stress that people should really try to get insurance so that they would be able to help themselves a little better. I am not saying this because we do not want to help but that assistance that we can give is but a drop in the bucket for the cost of that kind of treatment."
When asked about men and breast cancer, Farrell advised all men to get checked for the illness even if they feel it not necessary.
"I would advise men to go and get checked and they too should learn how to check themselves because as rare as it may be, men get breast cancer too. I know of one fellow who died of breast cancer. It is one in 1000 that could get breast cancer but that male who does not want to get checked could be that one in 1000 to get it.
For persons who are skeptical of getting screened, Farrell advised that they should put on a brave face and go and get checked because early detection is the best prevention from dying from the disease.
She said if it is detected early there is a greater chance of being cured.
To those who have been diagnosed, she said: "There is life after breast cancer and there is hope but you have to make sure that you do what the doctors advise you to do in the 'earlies'. You can't just sit back and say 'one of these days' or 'I don't have any money', you have to try and find ways and means of raising the funds.
"For the survivors, I say to us we should be vigilant and we should not say 'well I'm cured so I could relax'. We always have to be on the lookout, we have to continue getting ourselves checked and have good eating habits.
"I would just like persons to understand that breast cancer is not a death sentence even if it was in the past," she said.
Farrell disclosed that she is not only interested in raising breast cancer awareness but all other forms of cancer as well. Her hope, she said, is that one day all cancer awareness groups would come together and form a society.
