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Jacqueline Godwin found out more

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Six years after she lost her sister Judith Skeen to breast cancer fifty year old Dianne Skeen Hendy learned ten months ago that she too is not well.

Dianne Skeen Hendy, Cancer Patient
“I got it at a regular check up, very important to take mammogram yearly. I was lucky that they caught mine in stage zero and with the treatment and the technology that they have now I know I have a very very strong chance of fighting this cancer. In fact I did it.”

Dianne lives in the United States and she has been fortunate to receive the care and treatment needed to live a longer life. It’s an opportunity that she and her family would like to see afforded to all cancer patients in Belize.

Today that help came in the form of this twelve thousand dollar conference room. The Skeen family fully funded and furnished the facility situated inside the Juliet Orozco Soberanis Cancer Centre.

Marilyn Skeen – Fundraiser
“We fear that sickness so much but fearing it wouldn’t help anybody. We decided then to go even stronger to work even harder towards helping people here. So then it was then that we decided that we raise monies by tea parties, having tea parties, the waltz competition, selling promotions, doing promotions and awareness for cancer.”

Jacqueline Godwin – Reporting
“In Belize, the Cancer Society conference room will provide the training and counseling that are much needed however there is still more work that needs to be done in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.”

Dr. Alba Mendez Sosa - Oncologist
“Belize has more or less eighty one deaths a year for cervical cancer. Second place is breast cancer, third place is colorectal cancer and children cancer come not so big but so important for us because ninety percent of these cases can be cured. These are just reported cases there can be far more people out there. Definitely, more or less it is estimated that we have 150 new cases every year but definitely at this point we do not have all the facilities that provide the services to do an early detection.”

Unfortunately by the time a person does seek help and is diagnosed, the cancer is already advanced.

Diana Skeen Hendy – Cancer Patient
“Education. They have to be educated on this breast cancer because I know a lot of people even in the United States, they would say I feel a lump but I am scared by staying at home, doesn’t help the early you get the treatment, the better it is.”

Marilyn Skeen - Fundraiser
“The most important thing right now is treatment. Treatment is very very important because there are many people here who cannot afford the expenses of treatments for cancer.”

Two years after the Belize Cancer Society was formed, its founder Juliet Oroszo Soberanis died of breast cancer. Today the Soberanis family applauded the efforts being made towards making her dream come true.

Anthony Soberanis – Widow, Juliet Oroco Soberanis
“We really feel proud about it and we expect to see a lot more happened especially the hospice, that was one of her dreams, so I suppose that is where we will be going from here.”

Kim Soberanis Ellis – Daughter
“These were the things that she was expecting from the society and liked ad said the hospice was the main thing that’s he wanted to see, you know the main project so that is what we are heading for next the upstairs and using the facilities you know.”

The conference room will also be offered as a rental facility to help raise the money needed to construct the cancer hospice.

Marilyn Skeen – Fundraiser
“And we need a lot more and that is why we appeal to people: assist, contribute tp the cancer society as much as they can. It is like what the logo says we need you today, you may need us tomorrow, that is so true because we never know when it will hit us.”

The Skeen family has been involved with the Cancer Society for thirteen years and have contributed over thirty one thousand dollars. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News.

Besides the Cancer Hospice that was recently inaugurated in Dangriga where fifteen patients so far have received chemotherapy there are no other cancer treatment facilities in the country.