NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Cancer centres on the Family Islands are finding it a bit harder to get the money needed to assist persons diagnosed with breast cancer.
October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness month, and is synonymous with marathons, raffles, t-shirt sales, and other fundraising events.
While there’s the advantage of numbers with many potential donors in the capital, President of the Cancer Society in Eleuthera Suzan Culmer says at the moment, they are strapped for cash.
Culmer said that they are grateful for the donors who miraculously came through with funds during the pandemic. However, because treatments are so expensive, they were only able to assist persons with flights for when they go to get the initial screenings and after they have taken the treatments and need to be screened again.
“Currently we have about five persons who we are assisting, we can’t do treatment and so forth but we’re getting them their tickets to be back and forth into Nassau.
“Like I said if they need their mammogram or ultrasound, we’ll pay for them so we have persons who, once they’ve done their treatment, are able to go to the center in Nassau.”
Culmer says it becomes more costly when the patient is bedridden or too frail to maneuver and needs continuous support from a caregiver, therefore the airfare price would be doubled.
“Normally treatment goes in rounds so you could have six rounds to a treatment or ten rounds it depends on the severity of your cancer so it’s not easy and it’s not a cheap plight.
“This is very expensive because I’m understanding it’s $3,000 per round at the public clinic and if you go private you talking 10 to $15,000 so cancer could break a millionaire.”
The Eleuthera Cancer Society president added that the situation often becomes dire when treatment is delayed. She stressed the need for donors and volunteers saying that they appreciate whatever people can afford to give.
The breast cancer rate in Eleuthera is also a major concern, Culmer told Eyewitness News that over the past two months they have lost four of their members to the disease.
“Breast cancer in Eleuthera has been on the rise here, it’s an alarming disease that’s taken over, we don’t know why and how it’s happening.
“We’ve been known to be one of the highest islands in the world, Eleuthera and Andros in particular in The Bahamas have the highest rates in The Bahamas currently.”
The actual rate of cancer-positive patients in Eleuthera is unknown. Culmer added that there have also been challenges in collecting data due to persons seeking treatment abroad without locally reporting their ailment, restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and people being too shy to come forward for help.
Ruth Knowles-Wells, South Andros Cancer Society President told Eyewitness News they are facing a similar problem. She explains that her team is working feverishly to collaborate with community partners and businesses for funding and volunteers.
“We’re a very small island so we’re trying to collect funds the people who are in Andros only could do what they could do. We need more funds” she said.
Currently, they are assisting three patients, Knowles-Wells said.
Knowles-Wells continued: “We usually pay their way if they have to do treatment or if they have to see the doctor. The cancer society will pay their way and if they don’t have any place to stay in Nassau, the cancer society in Nassau will pick them up from the airport and they can stay at the cancer society in Nassau.”
She said, when diagnosed, some people attempt to treat themselves with bush medicine, or when displaying severe symptoms many of them try to hide it as much as possible.
“You know on the island people don’t like to talk if they have cancer or anything, you really have to pry it out of them and so sometimes we will know at the very last stage when they are about to die that, that’s what happened, that they had breast cancer,” Knowles-Wells said.
Among concerns about funding for patients and raising awareness about their presence, the South Andros Cancer Society is trying to refurbish its headquarters to better facilitate the community.
“We do have younger people coming forward with breast cancer and the most alarming thing is that when they come forward, usually they’re at a stage three or stage four would be, here in the Bahamas it’s very aggressive so we’ve seen persons go from a stage one to a stage four in breast cancer within six months to a years time.
“I would encourage young ladies, women, sisters, mum you know everybody we need to get it under control and we keep preaching prevention. We may say hey it’s too expensive to go into Nassau to get a mammogram or do an ultrasound, but we do have some free clinics coming up this month not only for the women but for the men.”
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