The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE Sister Sister Breast Cancer Group is setting aside time this weekend to show gratitude to God for their successful twelve year journey.

A tradition started by the group eight years ago, they will give thanks publicly during a prayer breakfast at the Sheraton Cable Beach resort, Saturday at 7.30am. The guest speaker for the event is Rev Angela Palacious.

“Sisters Keep Hope Alive” is the theme for this year’s prayer breakfast, and was taken from Lamentations 3:21-26. It was chosen to encourage women not lose faith, said Andrea Sweeting, president of the Sister Sister Breast Cancer Group.

She said there are many women going through ordeals where their health is concerned, and are losing faith in the power of God. Those women, she said, need a renewed sense of hope that can only come from the word of God. They seek to reinforce the power of God through the prayer breakfast.

“We realize our women are losing the faith to carry on because of their status. They think nothing is going to happen, they think things will always be the same. There is not a better place to find hope than in the word of God. We have to find ways to apply what the word of God says to our faith and our situations,” she said.

“It is time for the Sister Sister Breast Cancer Group to give thanks and praise God for what he has brought us through and do so publicly. The public has supported us over them years and we want them to join us during our prayer breakfast,” she told Tribune Religion.

During the event some of the members of the group will reflect on their journey thus far. This is an important part of the event, as the journey of some group members can bare witness to those who might be facing the same issue to “keep hope alive”. “They will know how their experience was and how the women were able to achieve what they achieved so far during,” Ms Sweeting told Tribune Religion.

The Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group is a non-profit support group of some 200 women, between the ages 20 to 70 years of age, who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The group was founded in September 2000, by Dr Locksley Munroe, Dr Charles Diggiss and Nurse Charlene Mcphee.

In addition to its New Providence office, the organisation also has a Grand Bahama branch, and a presence in Andros. There is also a close relationship with the Cancer Society, Eleuthera branch. Its long term goal is to establish branches in each Family Island.

The group also raises funds which are used primarily to provide port-a-caths to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. A port-a-cath is used for patients who require frequent or continuous chemotherapy administration.

On average Sister Sister provides approximately six to eight ports per month at a cost of $550.00 each.

Additionally, Sister Sister also assists with medical screening such as mammograms, ultra sounds, and CT Scans, MRI’s, PET CTs, and blood work-ups. The organisation has also assisted with the purchase of oral chemotherapy medication such as Arimidex, Tamoxifen and Femora.

For more information about Sister Sister Breast Cancer Group contact 326-1929.