FIGHTERS IN THE FRONT LINE OF THE WAR AGAINST CANCER
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A chance meeting in the local grocery store led to me becoming a volunteer with a cancer support group. As I was shopping, I came across a lady who was searching for something and she asked me if I knew where she could find it. Of course, I helped her locate the item.
When I went to the check out, she was in the line ahead of me, and we chatted as she packed her purchases while mine were being rung up. She asked me if I used the monopoly game cards, a promotional thing the store does, and I said no but she was welcome to mine. She said she used the prizes and coupons for various charitable ventures that she was involved in, so I was more than happy to give them to her.
As she waited for my things to be rung up, I realized that I had bought more than I could carry! I was walking home and although it was only a few hundred yards, she offered me a ride home. To cut a long story short, my new friend, Thelma D. Jones, is a community activist and breast cancer survivor who formed a support group for breast cancer patients eight years ago, and is involved in many other community organisations in the Southwest neighbourhood of Washington, DC. Thelma is a great promoter, organizer and persuader!! Before I knew it I had agreed to attend one of the monthly support group meetings of the Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund, and volunteered my time and skills as a photographer and writer to help with publicity.
I have now attended three consecutive monthly meetings and met some amazing, courageous and dedicated women. At each meeting I have learned so much more about the difficulties that face patients who suffer from chronic and life-threatening disease. We who are whole and healthy take so much for granted. We don’t have to think about the difficulties that face a woman who is confined to a wheelchair, for instance, and who needs a pap smear or mammogram. The equipment used for these very essential examinations are designed with the able-bodied in mind. For instance, the mammogram is performed while the patient is standing.
How many of us have not experienced or even considered the difficulties facing patients who are minorities such as LGBTQI, disabled, immigrant minorities, or black? I learned that minority patients often feel discriminated against, and that providers lack sensitivity to their needs. I worked in the medical field for a number of years in a private doctor’s office in The Bahamas, and the thought of treating a patient differently based on any physical, ethnic or cultural differences never crossed my mind. However, it is common enough in the United States to warrant studies being done on how to assist minority patients and their providers to have a better understanding. Washington DC in particular has a very diverse community with people from all over the world living here. There is also a very large LGBT community, and there is a great need for education about the medical and health needs of transgender people.
One of the advantages of being in Washington DC is that there are some very prestigious universities in the area and the diverse population, which makes it a very good environment for the studies mentioned above. Speakers at the Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund support group meetings have been drawn from the George Washington University Hospital and Howard University Hospital.
They have included Dr. Lori L. Wilson MD, FACS (Associate Professor of Surgery; Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology; Program Director, General Surgery Residency, Department of Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine and Howard University Hospital); Ify Nwabukwu, President and Founder, African Women’s Cancer Awareness Association; Rev. Dr. Beryl Evangeline Dennis, Wesley Theological Seminary; and Mandi Pratt-Chapman, MA, Associate Director Patient-Centred Initiatives and Health Equity, George Washington Cancer Center. They have been conducting studies on patient navigation (easing the patient’s journey from diagnosis through treatment, surgery, chemotherapy, family and relationship issues), LGBTQI issues, the needs of caregivers (spiritual, emotional and physical needs) and the resources and events that are taking place to raise funds and awareness for cancer research by the American Cancer Society.
The Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund is just one group in the Washington DC area, yet I have seen in three short months that a tremendous amount of work is being done to promote awareness and provide spiritual as well as physical comfort for those affected by this disease. Thelma herself is a go-getter, a breast cancer survivor, and has received awards and accolades from many prominent organisations and publications. Most recently she was appointed as Honorary Bat Girl by the MLB team Washington Nationals that is “pitching” its support this year to the Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund (pun intended!).
I moved to Washington DC in 2016 when I married Oswald Brown, the founding Editor-in-Chief of BAHAMAS CHRONICLE. My husband is from Andros, the largest island in the chain of islands that comprise The Bahamas, and I lived in Nassau on the island of New Providence for 35 years. As previously mentioned I worked in a medical practice there, and encountered an alarmingly increasing number of cancer patients during the period 1992-2002.I learned that The Bahamas has one of the highest rates of breast cancerWashington in the world.
Upon learning this the Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund and Corrine Bombowsky, Community Development Manager of the Northeast Region of the American Cancer Society, have expressed an interest in connecting with cancer support groups in The Bahamas. This would provide a wonderful opportunity to share studies, information and activities that could benefit everyone. Many cancer patients in The Bahamas travel to the United States for treatment and Washington DC is within easy reach. It is my hope that support groups in The Bahamas will be interested in reaching out and connecting with Thelma D. Jones’ group to forge this relationship.
Apart from the ongoing monthly meetings, there is a major fund-raising event planned in Washington DC on October 20, 2018. The event, a sponsored walk organized by the American Cancer Society, is being planned in conjunction with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Undaunted Determination (Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund group) and Avon Cosmetics (a recent partner of the American Cancer Society), and will take place at a beautiful venue — a walking circuit of about 2.3 miles around the scenic Tidal Basin that includes the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, FDR Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Teams comprise breast cancer survivors and their families and friends, and the numbers registered for this year’s event have more than doubled over last year’s attendance. The goal is to raise $245,000 for cancer research.
In the short time that I have been involved with the support group, I have been very impressed with the community spirit, the fellowship and closeness of the women and their willingness to reach out to anyone who would like to be a part of it. Cancer affects everyone in different ways. I think the majority of us know someone who has it, whether it is a family member, close friend or work colleague. When more of us become involved with organisations like Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund, more awareness is promoted and more funds can be raised to help research and eventually find a cure for this devastating disease. Thanks to organisations such as the American Cancer Society, cancer is no longer a death sentence in many cases, and patients and families are able to face the challenges knowing that there are places and people they can turn to instead of facing often overwhelming helplessness.
To my daughter-in-law Emma Webb in the UK – Keep defying the odds, live and love your amazing wonderful life, you are an inspiration to us all. Love you.
(Also published in thehummingbirdpapers.com with photos)
