October is observed internationally as breast awareness month, and to remind Belizean women that they should not take breast cancer lightly, the Belize Cancer Society and the Office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children collaborated on a cancer-awareness initiative.
It's called the 2019 Cancer Awareness Photo Unveiling. It's an annual event where these two organizations highlight the success that women diagnosed with cancer have had. They want to demonstrate that with the appropriate steps, taken early, cancer patients can become survivors.
That photo unveiling happened at the Biltmore Plaza Hotel this morning, and the Special Envoy, who is a cancer survivor herself, discussed the roles of these survivors. She said that they are advocates who can educate the public, and inspire other cancer patients to overcome the adversity of their disease:
Kim Simplis-Barrow - Special Envoy for Women and Children
"So, today was the launch of our cancer flyer, and it is in line with breast cancer awareness month. As you know, every year, we do an unveiling of a photo-shoot we do with cancer survivors. For us, it is very important to find creative ways of getting our ladies to do their self-breast examination, and for them to get their mammograms. I think it's very important. It's part of creating awareness, but it is also an opportunity for these ladies to take their lives back, and to take control of who they are."
"We normally ask cancer survivors to participate in this in this photo-shoot. So, they are the actors. They are actually the advocates. And why is that important? Why is it important to get other people to be an advocate. [It's] because cancer knows no age. It knows no ethnicity. And so, we are all advocates. It's important for them to use their journey - that is if they want to - to inspire others to get tested and to know that we can beat this."
Rachel Eligio-Castillo - Cancer Survivor
"I'm a 7-year cancer survivor, cervical cancer. It is difficult for the main part, however, my faith in God, the support of family friends have me here today. I believe that cancer is not what everyone thought about in the past because I'm living proof that it is not a death sentence."
Chelsey Munoz - Cancer Survivor
"I'm 21 years old, and I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma. It's a blood cancer, under the same umbrella as leukemia. And well, I got diagnosed December 16th, 2018, a couple of months after I won the Miss San Pedro title in San Pedro, and well, I'm 3 months now in remission, officially, going for my next checkup in next month. Honestly, this road is a very tough one. Anyone who's been diagnosed with cancer, or are related to someone that someone who has been diagnosed with cancer can tell you this. The reason why I decided to participate in this event, as Miss Kim said, to be an advocate."
Marla Savala - Cancer Survivor
"Right now, I'm 27 years old. I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 19-year-old. It happened when my baby as born."
"Sometimes, when you're pregnant, you really don't know that you can catch a cancer because of being pregnant."
"I was in stage 3 cancer. It was in my lungs. I had cysts going to my brain. I got 25 chemotherapy, 5 days, every 3 weeks. My hair fell on the second weak, but I was strong because of my kids. I have two, and at the moment I knew that I had to be strong for them."
Zoila Audinette - Cancer Survivor
"I am not 41 years old, but at the time when I found out I had cancer, I was about 21 or 22. My son was 3 and my daughter was 2. So, I guess I'm the oldest survivor from within these ladies."
"I went to Guatemala for treatment because the doctors at Karl Heusner had given up on me. They gave me 2 weeks to live. They told me to go home, and I must sit and decide who will have my children. I told my mom, they are God, and I will not give up. I have to fight for them, and I did just that. I am a survivor for 17 years now."
This flyer and the photographs from the shoot will now become part of cancer awareness campaigns held countrywide.
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