The Guyana Cancer Foundation helps to inspire hope for the terminally ill

Oct 03, 2021 News

---

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Cancer Foundation (GCF) has for over 16 years provided, supported and helped inspire hope in those affected by cancer through early detection, education and awareness.

Hundreds of Guyanese have benefited from the list of support services that the foundation has to offer. This week as part of the Cancer Awareness Month’s sensitization efforts, Kaieteur news will be highlighting the work of the foundation that helped countless souls deal with the news of being terminally ill.
From providing free screening for breast, cervical and other types of cancers to helping fund medical check-ups for the terminally ill, spreading awareness and providing other types of services, the mission of GCF is to provide free medical screening to the medically underserved, low-income and uninsured population. The organisation’s ultimate goal is to be a beacon of hope to those diagnosed with cancer.
Kaieteur News recently caught up with the President/Founderof GCF, Ms Bibi Saeedah Akhtar Hassan who explained the commitment to fight cancer is stronger than before. Hassan knows from personal experience, how much the service is needed. She was her mother Amelia’s caregiver, when she was diagnosed with cancer.
At present, the organization has joined the local push to eradicate breast and cervical cancer in Guyana by 2025. Though the feat is ambitious, Hassan is optimistic.
She said: “We can make a difference in saving lives, and while our goal may seem enormous, we want to eradicate breast and cervical cancer in Guyana by 2025, if not the whole or even a half of the country, at least in one community or area, where we can say women are free from cancer.”
However, the cancer awareness advocate stressed that the success of this task, depends on partnership with the government, international funding institutions, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and all of society.

AWARENESS/SUPPORT
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness this month, the Foundation and its Partners, will host a list of activities; such as the candle light vigil on October 15 which is for persons who lost their battle to cancer, National No Bra Day held on October 13 and a National Mammography Day/Wear It Pink Friday, on October 20 and October 22 respectively.
Hassan explained that events like these are aimed at promoting awareness and offering support for cancer patients and survivors.
She noted that the Cancer Foundation continues to grow with members and volunteers while it remains committed to inspiring hope to those affected by cancer through early detection, education and awareness.

“I can tell you, almost every day I get messages or texts from persons looking for support of some sort. We can’t count the number of people that Guyana Cancer Foundation has offered support to, in some way, shape or form,” she said.
Hassan added that the work with cancer awareness is culminated “when people understand how important screening and screening regularly is.”
“The faster people get this and put it into practice the less work we have to do. Since early detection saves lives and you can only detect something early if you are looking for it,” she emphasised.
Throughout this month the GCF will be collaborating with the Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital to provide mammograms and sonograms to members of the public—at no cost to them.
In the meantime, to assist with its efforts, the Cancer Foundation has received the support of almost 20 corporate entities including GTT, King’s Jewellery World, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, Scotia Bank, N&S Mattai, Kissoon’s Furniture Store, Skahur Trading, Toolsie Persaud, Digicel, MediCare Pharmacy, Survival and Deluxe Trading, ExxonMobil, Guyana Unity Movement and the Guyana Medical Relief.
HISTORY
Hassan has been with the GCF since 2005, when a small group of Avon Part-Time Representatives was selected by the CEO of Beauty and Home Innovations (BHI) Guyana, Ms. Ann Singh, who also helped to set up the Avon Community Help Fund to start breast cancer awareness in Guyana.
Hassan was selected by the committee to be Treasurer of the fund. From there on her journey started with the fund to create awareness, and education. The Avon Community Help Fund and its Representatives started to raise funds through the business community and with the help of their close friends, they started their education and awareness programme.
Over the years, the Fund has been conducting Breast Cancer Awareness activities through a number of initiatives, particularly sessions on how to do the breast self- examination at home. Given their awareness and advocacy programmes, five years after its inception, they came up with the initiative to provide access to screening services including mammograms and sonograms for high-risk women, including the medically underserved and underinsured women. This intervention would motivate more women to take action to fight this disease and create opportunity for them to seek early medical care.
On January 29, 2015, Avon was dissolved in the Caribbean and the Fund couldn’t use the name “Avon Community Help Fund” anymore.
Later in April 2015, Hassan received a call from Ms Singh of Avon Community Help Fund, who was and still is the CEO of Beauty and Home Innovations Guyana, asking Hassan to take over the Avon Community Help Fund because she had a vision for it.
She took up the challenge and with help from others, she changed the name to Guyana Cancer Foundation. She is truly passionate about this cause because of her own personal encounter when her mother became a breast cancer survivor in the year 2008.
She was there at every step with her mother, being her caregiver, going through chemo and hair loss sessions. Since then her mother inspired her to assist women to fight this disease, because early detection can help save lives.
As such, the Foundation also provides counselling to patients and their families and guides them to treatment options and facilities. Outreach with screening and support services were done in areas such as Georgetown, Berbice River, Charity, Bartica, Mahaicony, Moraikoba and Linden.
“Early detection is crucial and that is why we offer the mammogram, sonogram and pap-smear and we encourage women to make use of these free screenings,” Hassan added.

---

---