The Tribune

MEN get breast cancer, there’s no reliable test to detect ovarian cancer and even with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you can still get the disease – these were just some of the quick facts staff at Sunshine Holdings learned in an hour during recent ‘Lunch And Learn’ session organised by the Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative Foundation (BBCIF).

The one-hour session is designed to help raise awareness about breast cancer and early detection through continuous public education and programmes that encourage good diet, exercise and healthy living.

Dozens of Sunshine Holdings workers got a chance to grill BBCIF Genetic Counsellor Islay Thompson about ways to reduce their risk of breast cancer.

Ms Thompson stressed the need to do regular breast exams and encouraged those attending to learn their bodies so that they are aware of changes.

The BBCIF is one of the beneficiaries of the Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend (SIRW), of which Sunshine Insurance is the lead sponsor and organiser.

BBCIF Executive Director Melissa Major shared her personal journey with cancer, noting that she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in her twenties.

During the presentation she detailed how she changed her lifestyle and urged the workers to adopt healthier lifestyles where they incorporate more fruits and vegetables in their diets and exercise for at least an hour daily.

Sunshine staff said they found the session informative and several participants vowed to make lifestyle changes.