Cancer survivors honoured in new e-magazine

Ten local cancer survivors were honoured on Wednesday as the Giving Hope Foundation launched its first digital magazine, aiming to increase awareness on cancer and encourage people to get screened since early detection saves lives.

The Giving Hope Foundation is a local not-for-profit that seeks to raise awareness on cancer and provides support to patients. As part of efforts to fulfill its mandate, regular cancer screenings are conducted.

On Wednesday, however, Founder of the Foundation and Medical Oncologist, Dr. Latoya Gooding explained that the foundation has been unable to conduct these screenings in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And, she lamented, “… I find that persons are putting screening on the back burner because of the pandemic.”

As such, she and a team spent about one month compiling a magazine with stories of cancer survivors. The aim of this magazine, she said, was to empower these 10 women and to also encourage people to get screened and tested.

“We can beat cancer through early diagnosis, we can beat cancer through awareness sessions, we can beat cancer with just our cancer survivors telling their stories to encourage others,” Dr. Gooding underscored.

The cover of the magazine features 17-year-old Mekyla Belgrave, who was diagnosed with retinoblastoma as a baby. The young woman, who is unable to see, is currently sitting her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Many of the other stories focus on women who battled breast cancer and other types of cancer.

The link to view the magazine can be accessed by visiting the Giving Hope Foundation’s Facebook page or by clicking here.