The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

ORGANISERS of the Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend (SIRW) officially closed out their 2015 race calendar yesterday with a $50,000 presentation to five select cancer foundations.

Officials from the Cancer Society of The Bahamas, the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama, the Sister, Sister Breast Cancer Support Group, The Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative Foundation (BBCIF) and the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation were all on hand to receive donations of $10,000 for their respective initiatives.

According to SIRW vice-president Shelly Wilson, Race Weekend started in January 2010 as a corporate initiative of Sunshine Insurance, developed to bring about community awareness to health-related issues.

She added that while the race has grown to be a major event, the “ultimate mandate” has always been to give “meaningful donations” to those that need it – groups working to aid those battling cancer.

“As we present the proceeds from the January 2015 Race Weekend today, we encourage the public to always remain mindful of the underlying purposes of the race – firstly to raise meaningful funding and secondly to increase public awareness on prevention and cure for cancer,” Ms Wilson said.

“Since 2010, we are so pleased to confirm that cumulatively, we have been able to donate in excess of one quarter of a million dollars to these named beneficiaries – all of whom have the common thread of working to combat cancer – a disease that pervades all Bahamian families.”

Dionisio D’Aguilar, president of the BBCIF, underscored the importance of Sunshine Insurance’s donation by explaining the high prevalence of breast cancer in the Bahamas.

He stated that to date, his organisation has tested roughly 3,000 women for the BRCA gene mutation, the gene believe to cause an increased risk of cancer. Mr D’Aguilar indicated that of those tested locally, a common age of 42 years old has been assessed as the age where most are diagnosed.

He went on to explain that 43 per cent of those diagnosed lose their fights to the deadly disease after the age of 50.

“Our purpose has been from the onset, identify why so many women are being diagnosed with breast cancer and design a way to help those that are diagnosed battle and beat this disease. We want to test as many women as we possibly could. There are medical facts that show a connection between the BRCA gene mutation and an increased risk for cancer.”

Mr D’Aguilar stated that testing for BRCA gene mutation can cost in excess of $3,000 per person. He added that through funding from corporate sponsors and groups like Sunshine Insurance, the BBCIF has worked to cut that cost down dramatically. Patients can receive the “life saving testing” for as low as $100 per screening.

In addition to the BBCIF, SIRW has aided and helped improve the services of a number of other foundations.

The Cancer Association of Grand Bahama, since its partnership with the annual event, has expanded its Comfort Haven day-care initiative to a fully equipped hospice facility capable of serving cancer patients in and around the island of Grand Bahama.

Similar strides have been made with the Sister, Sister Breast Cancer Support Group, which in the last 14 years has worked to improve the lives of those diagnosed with breast cancer.

Meanwhile, SIRW organisers laid out preliminary plans for the next instalment of their annual event, announcing that the 2016 version of the SIRW is scheduled for January 16 -17.

The seventh edition of Marathon Bahamas is set for the January 16, while the sixth edition of the Susan G Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure scheduled for the next day.

In 2008, Marathon Bahamas partnered with Susan G Komen, the world’s largest breast cancer association in an effort to strengthen its local cancer fight.