Breast Cancer Patients Assistance Fund established

By Melissa Bryant
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – COINCIDING with the acknowledgment of Breast Cancer Awareness Month – October, a breast cancer survivor in St. Kitts recently initiated the launch of the St. Kitts-Nevis Breast Cancer Patients Assistance Fund with the aim of helping those in the Federation who are suffering from this disease.

SKNVibes learnt that Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, Dr. Kathleen Allen-Ferdinand and Barrister-at-Law Elizabeth Kelsick are the appointed trustees of the Fund.

The objective of the Trust is to provide financial assistance to persons in St. Kitts and Nevis suffering from breast cancer, who satisfy a means test, to enable them to obtain necessary treatment including chemotherapy and radiation.

According to the doctors, the overall cost of full treatment and miscellaneous expenses could total as high as US$50 000. They also indicated that approximately 17 diagnoses done each year within the Federation and there have been 156 cases registered from 2000 to 2008.

With the establishment of the Fund, persons now have another avenue through which they can seek relief from the enormous financial burden. Ailing persons will be referred to social services, which will assess their eligibility based on factors including age, salary, family support and insurance coverage.   ~~Adz:Right~~

“The fund is seeking to bridge the gap between what social services can provide and what the individual requires,” stated Dr. Wilkinson.

Due to the generous initial donation from the trust’s founder, applications for assistance can commence from January 15, 2009. However, the trustees are urging the public to contribute financially, as their ability to help a vast number of people is contingent on additional financial support.

A bank account has been opened at The Bank of Nova Scotia to facilitate the donation process.