As each year passes by, the problems associated with cancer in St. Kitts and Nevis are becoming more and more startling.
This was perhaps the central theme of this week’s official Media Launch of the Annual ICWI Sponsored Pink Walk for the cure of breast cancer, organized by the Essence of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation.
While speaking at a ceremony at the Ocean Terrace, on Monday, 1st October,2018, Minister of Health for St. Kitts & Nevis, Eugene Hamilton, assured foundation leaders that his ministry is pleased to join with them, “…today and every day, to bring awareness to the dread disease of cancer.
He made the pledge that moving forward, in years to come, his government will place greater concentration on, and becoming more engaged in the prevention of cancer.
Hamilton stressed the point that with more investment at the stage of prevention, there will be greater long term savings, because more lives would be saved as a result of the reduction that would come from in the preventative measures employed by citizens and the health care providers.
Recognizing that the problem was getting worse, and that more help was needed, president of the foundation, Mary Armstrong, said that in the early years, the foundation exclusively focused only on breast cancer, but as the time passed, and the problem expanded, the organization found itself offering assistance to persons with different types of cancer.
Though faced with a tough battle, Armstrong remained confident, and said that with the help of their title sponsor, ICWI, who came on board three years ago, “We are committed, dedicated, and they are too, in helping us along the journey to save lives.”
This year, as they have done since 2016, the Insurance Company of the West Indies, (ICWI) has contributed over $15,000 in assistance toward the annual walk, but that this year, ICWI is going further.
The theme for this year’s activity is Shades and Socks and over 1,300 civic minded citizens and residents of St. Kitts are expected to join the walk, which starts from the Caribbean Cinemas at Buckley’s, travelling along the FT Williams and Kim Collins Highways, before connecting to the frigate Road, ending at the Frigate Bay Lawns.
The walk takes place on Saturday, 27th October, starting at 6:00 am. Thecontribution of EC$50.00 helps cover expenses for cancer treatment.
