The Breast Cancer Foundation was pleased to host the Hon. Sabrina Turner, Minister of Health and Wellness, along with her team for a recent visit, full tour of the Breast Cancer Foundation’s offices located at #19 Grand Harbour, and a lengthy discussion about the scope of the Foundation’s work.

During the visit, the Foundation expressed how encouraged we are that the Cancer Register is on the table to be enacted. The Minister was unaware that the Cancer Society and the Breast Cancer Foundation were responsible for the cost of the Registry for the first three years before the Government took over that cost from us.

We talked about the demand for our year-round mammogram and ultrasound program, screenings are provided by the BCF free of charge to those women who need them living here in the Cayman Islands.  Many insurance policies do not have sufficient coverage in the “Wellness” part of the policy to cover the cost of these vital screenings. The Minister was not aware that we have been assisting the Cancer Society since 2010 and currently pay CI$70K to them annually towards their Breast Cancer Financial Aid Program and that we had our own Financial Aid Program which took over when a person had reached their maximum claim from the Cancer Society. As of today, more than 314 women have signed up to our Wellness Program receiving help on many levels including counselling, holistic, physical and practical, before, during and after treatments, not just the patient but their immediate family, partners and children.  

“We were grateful for the time the Hon. Sabrina Turner and her team spent visiting our offices at the Breast Cancer Foundation, added Janette Fitzgerald, Chief Administrator, Breast Cancer Foundation. “We were able to share information about the services we offer, but also key obstacles and challenges we all face in helping to education about and treat breast cancer in the Cayman Islands.”

We were able to explain the cold capping process which enables patients to keep their hair whilst having chemotherapy and that the Foundation has purchased the necessary equipment and supplied training for all three hospitals’ chemotherapy units here in Cayman. We also discussed how the Foundation has purchased medical equipment for the hospital and funded specialized training for their staff including three of the physiotherapists at H.S.A. who now have lymphoedema expertise thanks to the BCF Grant Program. BCF purchased all the essential items for their department to start treating lymphoedema patients immediately on the completion of their training in 2016. BCF has also sponsored a number of physiotherapists in private practice under the same grant, the aim being that no one living in Cayman should be without treatments for lymphoedema as they regularly were. 

As part of the visit, the Foundation was able to show their bra and prosthetic room, the only one of its kind in the Caribbean which supplies surgical vests, prosthetics, specialized bras as well as swim and gym wear for those who have had breast surgery as well as our full wig catalogue and fitting services.

Dr. Hobday and the BCF team were able to talk about the high incidents of breast cancer in Cayman and the reasons why the incidents are higher in Afro Caribbean Women and why they are more likely to die from breast cancer due to late diagnosis.  Mention was made to the Bahamian Government acknowledging the current research and their free ultrasound program for women in their 20’s and 30’s, a service currently not available in Cayman.   We also talked about improvements we can make in educating women and men about breast cancer such as school programs and their assistance to expand our Awareness Program to reach out to many more people.

The high cost of insurance was also talked about and the low coverage for things like mammograms and ultrasounds, meaning that it was left to the BCF to cover the costs for many women seeking these basic screening services.

All services offered by the BCF are free, they are totally funded by donations from the public and local businesses. If you are interesting in the work of the Breast Cancer Foundation or volunteering, please contact us at [email protected] or call in at #19 Grand Harbour.

We invite you to visit our all new website www.breastcancerfoundation.ky which had all the information for anyone here worried or diagnosed with breast cancer.