CHARLESTOWN, Nevis, February 23rd 2010 (Pink Lily) - Pink Lily Cancer Care, formally Pink Lily Breast Cancer Care, has embraced 2010 with passion, drive and determination and a clear vision of awareness and prevention.
The launch of the 2010 Awareness & Prevention activities began with the World Cancer Day fair on Feb. 4th in Memorial Square, Charlestown Nevis, where Pink Lily volunteers distributed cancer awareness literature and imparted information.
The Breast Screening Programme (BSP) was also launched on Feb. 4th.
According to Pink Lily Founder and Executive Director Lea Parris-Cambridge, the purpose of the Pink Lily breast screening programme is to provide much needed pre and post counselling, financial assistance with screening costs and to help gather important information in order to further understand cancer that would help reduce the cases of breast cancer in Nevis.
Following consultations with medical practitioners, a criterion has been established to help identify women at high risk who will participate in the Pink Lily BSP. Women invited to the programme should be aged between 40 and 73 and have never had breast screening or have a family history of breast cancer (mother, sister or grandmother have had breast cancer), women who are overweight and women who have noticed abnormalities on one or both of their breasts.
Lea Parris-Cambridge explained in her press statement that women are invited to apply for the programme through participating doctors and health centres or by contacting Pink Lily directly.
After being off island for several weeks, Lea Parris-Cambridge came back in time to celebrate Pink Lily’s 2nd Birthday on February 9th by visiting choice 105.3 FM and being interviewed by Wrenford Dore, who has continuously shown his support of Pink Lily through his radio show on Choice FM during the last two years. “As always Wrenford helps to educate the radio listeners as he recaps and reinforces Pink Lily’s message that early detection saves lives, and that cancer is no longer a death sentence,” Lea Parris- Cambridge said.
The same week, on Friday Feb. 12th and Saturday 13th, Pink Lily held a Pink Lily Pre-Valentine Sale in Memorial Square, Charlestown, Nevis selling a beautiful selection of Pink Lily Boutique gifts from the UK; a variety of gifts for the lady in your life, wife, mother, girlfriend, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, daughter. A gift gesture of love to show the lady in your life that you care and an inexpensive way to support Pink Lily, as every purchase made 100% goes to Pink Lily to continue providing its free services.
In an Interview with NNC’s Hazel Francis, Lea discussed the postponement of the opening of the Pink Lily Cancer Support Centre and explained that due to a lack of funding, which is needed in order for Pink Lily to provide a full service, the opening has been postponed until further notice. She said that as soon as funding, sponsorship or a grant has been secured, Pink Lily would be happy to announce the new opening date of its Cancer Support Centre.
The Pink Lily Support Centre is where members of the public can go to gain information about cancer, pick up informational leaflets, speak confidentially to Pink Lily carers about their concerns, learn how to do self-breast examinations, attend support groups, counselling and therapy sessions in a safe, comforting and private environment. It will also be a meeting place for Pink Lily volunteers and also from where one can purchase Pink Lily products.
Within the Support Centre, Pink Lily’s plan is to set up a retail outlet selling a variety of Pink Lily logoed products from T-shirts, bags, umbrellas, bed linen, towels , gifts, cards etc. This way the charity does not solely rely on donations. By generating its own income, it can provide all its services free to all visitors and clients, offer more support, provide better care and take care of other costs.
As a charitable organisation, Pink Lily Cancer Care relies on volunteer help, donations, sponsorship, and funding to provide this invaluable service free to clients.
Pink Lily is appealing for furniture, equipment, supplies, fixtures and fittings to completely furnish and equip the support centre.
As a part of their yearly campaigns, Pink Lily is always looking for new volunteers to join them to help build and develop the organisation and to continue raising awareness, offer support and fundraise to provide quality cancer care.
Asked the specific role a Pink Lily volunteer plays, Lea Parris-Cambridge outlined the specific activities as follows:
Pink Lily Volunteers support Pink Lily’s efforts by donating their time and use their skills, experience and knowledge to help in the different areas to:- Raise awareness and conduct educational talks to provide support, guidance, counseling and care; help plan and organise fund-raising events; working behind the scenes; and as events crew, help with operations management and administration and assist in the Pink Lily Cancer Care Centre. Free training is provided for Pink Lily Awareness & Support volunteers.
Pink Lily is appealing to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis to unite and support the organisation’s efforts to help provide quality cancer care for men and women in the Federation, as we raise awareness of all cancers, offer support to cancer sufferers and their families and raise funds to provide our services free to our clients.
Pink Lily Awareness & Prevention campaigns to look out for in 2010:-
Changing the face of cancer - Cancer is not the death sentence it was once known to be. By educating yourself, it will help remove the anxiety, uncertainty and fear. (Book a Pink Lily talk for your workplace, church, school or organisation or local community centre).
Breast screening programme - Sign up for your mammogram - Early detection saves lives.
Go on, have a feel! – Did you do your self examination this month?
Remember to check your breasts every month – Know your body, know what changes to look for, look and feel, report any changes to your doctor.
Join us for the Pink Lily Walk-a-Thon on Saturday 9th October 2010.
Every Walk-a-Thon is bigger and better. Previous walks attracted over 200 participants. If you missed out on the fun and the opportunity to stand up to cancer, this is a chance to get on board the Pink Lily train and help make a difference.
Since its establishment as a non-profit organisation two years ago on 9th February 2008, Pink Lily Cancer Care volunteers have been committed to the cause of providing cancer care in Nevis by way of educational literature, awareness talks and programmes island-wide in workplaces, churches and schools and with the use of all media coverage, marches, fairs, demonstrations and public events, and have more recently extended a hand of care to St. Kitts.
Pink Lily has provided emotional and practical support and counselling to several cancer sufferers, comforted the dying and financially assisted five people within the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
From her own personal experience and that of a number of persons affected by cancer in St. Kitts and Nevis, Lea Parris-Cambridge said, “We are uniting to help break the silence surrounding cancer, to eliminate the stigma and fear attached to cancer, highlighting the importance of early detection and prevention through self awareness, knowing the high risk factors, the necessary life style changes and by instilling hope, from discovery, diagnosis through treatment to recovery.
“Pink Lily understands the financial burden life-saving cancer surgery and treatment has on the Ministry of Health as well as on the people suffering with cancer in need of this expensive treatment, also of the lack of emotional support and counselling.”
According to the Executive Director, “It’s because of our understanding of the financial situation and the areas lacking around complete health care in St. Kitts and Nevis that Pink Lily Cancer Care is seeking international funding to establish the Pink Lily Secretariat and Drop-in Centre in Nevis to serve the Nevisian population and that of the Federation in its entirety, to provide information, support, counselling and financial assistance to people in their time of need.”
In order for Pink Lily to run the organisation on a full-time basis with efficiency, professionalism and effectiveness, full-time staff and daily operational and running costs of the secretariat are needed by way of sponsorship, grants or funding,” Lea Parris-Cambridge noted.
Lea appeal further and called on members of the public to come on board to help them fight the battle with cancer in the Federation by showing their support of Pink Lily Cancer Care.
“Together we will fight cancer in Kitts and Nevis. It has touched too many families and claimed too many lives already. By working together, we are making a difference,” she said.
