The Key Club of the Georgetown International Academy on Saturday held a youth walk to bring awareness to children affected by cancer. Held under the theme, “Children walking for children” and “Help us fight cancer now”, a sizable turnout of patrons assembled at the National Park amid the cool morning breeze and walked to Parade Ground, where the event culminated.
Local club President Gabriel De Harry Strand told Guyana Times that the exercise was aimed at sensitising the public to Guyanese children that are affected by various types of cancer, in addition to raising money to fight the disease.
After the walk concluded, Strand expressed gratitude to all who participated. He revealed that so far, his group has raised over $11 million for the cause.
“It’s surreal to me that its completed, it went by so fast… so far right now, we’ve raised $11.2 million and we’re hoping it only goes up from there,” the club President pointed out.
He added that many children in the interior locations are suffering from the disease and he stressed the need for the public to provide more assistance. Reflecting on his inspiration for joining the cause, Strand explained that over the past two years, he lost two grandparents to the disease. He added that his own mother has successfully battled the disease.
“I’ve seen what cancer does to people and how it deteriorates people down to nothing and to think of a kid having to go through that, it’s truly heartbreaking,” the young man noted.
On this premise, Strand reasoned that people should speak more about the disease. “Speak about it gets movement towards it, let people know because it’s a big problem today,” the club President stressed.
Meanwhile, Guyanese footballer Verlon Mills agreed that more needs to be done to highlight the issue, especially for early detection.
“We need to detect it early; sometimes youngsters feel pain and parents don’t take it seriously [but] the awareness is not just for parents, but for everybody in society,” the local striker noted.
Recognising the importance of supporting the initiative, Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence also pointed out that family support is critical to combat the disease.
“Many times we see the victims… but they need their family support [and] many times those victims’ families are also shattered by the information they receive,” Lawrence opined, imploring those present to support the organisation’s cause.
The Key Club is encouraging members of the public to join and spread the word of cancer with special emphasis on the fact the many children are affected, especially those in the hinterland locations. (Shemuel Fanfair)
