By Waaqiah Jaffer
Ladies dressed in pink honoured the breast cancer awareness month and graced the “Reach for Recovery” gala for breast cancer support service with their presence.
This prestigious fundraiser was held at the Horseshoe Inn in Kimberley on 14 October. It was hosted by Sonya Kenny, the chairlady of “Reach for Recovery’s” Kimberley branch.
The venue was beautifully decorated and all seats were taken. The auditorium was filled with breast cancer survivors, their family members, trained volunteers and medical staff.
Guests were welcomed with an entertaining stage presentation by Danelle Stubbe and Simoné Lamprecht who are local dieticians. Their informative slideshow captivated the audience and was accompanied by visual aids and outfit transitions. They discussed the importance of following a healthy diet and offered advice to the audience.
After their discussion adjourned a healthy starter including yoghurt and fruit were served. Guests then had the opportunity to purchase R20 raffle tickets as part of the fundraiser.
Shortly thereafter Dr CJ Buys, a passionate medical doctor working in the Oncology department at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital, gave a presentation on new developments in breast cancer treatments. She touched on topics such as chemotherapy and saluted all the cancer survivors. She ended off her well put together presentation with a quote, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face” by Eleanor Roosevelt.
A mouthwatering breakfast was prepared and guests were listening to music while waiting for their food. An elderly couple grabbed the attention of the audience by dancing together. After indulging in their meals the excitement of the raffle draw had everyone anxiously waiting in anticipation. The prizes were as follows: first prize, Russel Hobbs 8l dual air fryer, second prize; Safeway waffle maker, third prize; a foot spa and the fourth was a R400 petrol/diesel voucher.
The winners were applauded upon their collection of the prizes. Kenny also included a lucky draw where the winners were given a surprise goodie bag.
The funds that were raised will be used to purchase bras, cosmetics, material for bags and softies, printing of information booklets and general day to day administrative costs.
Before delivering the vote of thanks, the chairlady of Reach for Recovery, Kenny, herself a third year breast cancer survivor, asked all the breast cancer survivors in the audience to stand up and announce how many years of cancer they’ve survived.
“We should also remember the fallen angels,” Kenny mentioned. Reach for Recovery Kimberley branch has been in existence for 40 years and continues to provide free emotional and practical support to breast cancer patients and their families.
This service is provided by trained volunteers who have experienced the breast cancer journey. Breast cancer patients at the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital receive support from these volunteers as they progress with their treatment.
Volunteers at Reach for Recovery are looking forward to hosting this event next year again and ladies who are going through this journey are encouraged to attend.
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