The students and teachers at the Marian Academy, Carifesta Avenue, have raised $697,000 for the Periwinkle Cancer Club to provide support for cancer patients and survivors.
The cheque was handed over to the Club’s president Andrea Joseph on Monday during a General Assembly at the school’s auditorium. The funds were raised during an inaugural breast cancer awareness activity on October 27 to educate the students about the symptoms and treatment of cancer.
Dr Alexis Maharaj was the guest speaker and she provided the health information to the students.
According to Joseph, the Club plays a vital role in providing persons affected by cancer with much-needed support. She said the proceeds will significantly improve the work done by the club.
“…there is life after cancer so we have a club and we would meet and go on trips and share stories and encourage our members and our supporters that it is not a death sentence and you can still live,” Joseph said.
The Periwinkle Club was first formed by 17 women who wanted to create a safe space for persons affected by cancer and it caters for men as well.
Joseph said the Club collaborates with several public and private agencies as it aims to assure persons that they are not fighting alone.
Breast cancer survivor Rita Singh said that after her diagnosis in 2007, she realised how important support is for persons who have cancer.
“I was put on the list to do a mastectomy and this was a radicle surgery. I went forward because I wanted to be healed. It wasn’t until that day when I was about to do that surgery that I realised what I was about to do and broke down,” Singh said.
She was comforted by nurses at the hospital but she said this was an eye-opening day for her and she has since devoted her time to providing that very comfort to others.
Another breast cancer survivor, Shellon McGusty, said her diagnosis was in 2019 and with the support of family, friends and her faith, she was able to win her battle against cancer.
“I went to the Cancer Institute and they told me that I have to go and do a biopsy; I went and got it back within a week.
“When I collected it and got the news, I broke down right there because I told myself it’s the end of the road because when you hear cancer you think death but it’s not death,” McGusty said.
These testimonies emphasised the need for awareness and for support to groups like the Periwinkle Club, Joseph said. She also commended the school for getting the youths involved in the conversations about the dreaded disease.
