Kiwanis Club of Providence comes good for western cancer patients

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Montego Bay Cancer Support Group, the Oncology Ward at the Cornwall Regional Hospital and the Jamaica Cancer Society were among the major beneficiaries at Wednesday’s award ceremony for the Kiwanis Club of Providence Montego Bay’s 15th Breast Cancer Awareness 5K Run/Walk, which raised some $15 million.

Nadine Spence, president of the Kiwanis Club, hailed the club’s milestone fundraiser as a significant achievement in the club’s 15 years of sustained cancer support and awareness.

“Tonight is not just a ceremony; it is a moment of reflection, gratitude and purpose,” she said, noting the club surpassed an initial $10 million target to raise nearly $15 million. “So tonight, when we hand over these funds, we are not just giving money, we are giving hope, access and a fighting chance.”

Spence also noted that the initiative has raised more than $85 million in its effort to aid hundreds of families across western Jamaica.

“The impact is great. It’s far-reaching. Our cheque is the only support that a lot of these persons would have ever gotten,” said Spence in a subsequent interview, in which she stressed the club’s commitment to serve, even in times of crisis.

“We know we couldn’t just stop, so even during COVID-19, we did online races, we did everything to raise funds so that there’s continuity of life,” she said. “This year, a little under 4,000 persons registered. We had to stop the race midway when we heard that the Category Five hurricane (Hurricane Melissa) was coming, and we just saw the registration slowing down, ... but the contributions came in, and so it made up,” she said. “It made a huge difference. The sponsors that we had were amazing.”

The funds are designed to provide critical support for cancer screening, treatment assistance and patient care across western Jamaica.

Llauna Gordon Humphries, coordinator of the Montego Bay Cancer Support Group, told The Gleaner that the $3.24 million donated to her group will bring hope to many patients who are struggling financially while battling the disease.

“To know that the Providence group has stepped up again means a lot. Many tears are going to be shed,” she said.

According to Gordon-Humphries, the group regularly encounters patients facing severe hardship as they attempt to manage treatment and everyday expenses.

Gordon-Humphreys recalled one woman, who was on the verge of losing her home after falling behind on mortgage payments while undergoing treatment.

“She was about to lose her house because she had missed two months of mortgage payments and the third month was coming up. She was also losing her job because she had to go for treatment,” she said, in speaking to the struggles people living with cancers are face.

“When she got the support, she cried and cried,” she said.

Another beneficiary, she noted, is a small scale female farmer, who is the sole caregiver for her 39-year-old son, who is mentally challenged.

“When she got the assistance she could not believe it,” Gordon-Humphries said.

Dr Garfield Badal, a consultant paediatric surgeon at Cornwall Regional Hospital, said the donation to that institution will help families navigate the emotional and financial strain of cancer treatment.

“These ladies, for 15 years, have done amazing work,” he said, in praising the work of the all female Kiwanis Club of Providence, Montego Bay.

He explained that beyond medical care, patients often struggle with basic needs while undergoing treatment.

“Simple things like bus fare to come to the hospital or lunch provisions are important things that really will help families,” said Badal.

He added that funding could also help patients access specialised diagnostic tests that are often expensive and not readily available within the public health system.

Meanwhile, Jamaica Cancer Society Executive Director Roshane Reid-Koomson said the donation will strengthen screening programmes that provide mammograms, Pap smears and prostate examinations.

“I am overwhelmed. I am shocked, speechless,” Reid-Koomson, after recieving the donation for his organisation.

She noted that the organisation frequently assists patients from several parishes who cannot afford basic screening tests.

“We have women who come from many different parishes who cannot afford a basic mammogram or pap smear, and men who cannot afford prostate screening,” she said.

Reid-Koomson furthere stressed that early detection remains critical in the fight against cancer.

“Screening is the first step. Without screening, you won’t know that you have breast cancer or any type of cancer,” she said.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com