Private citizen launches non-profit cancer foundation
In light of World Cancer Day 2018, a non-profit organization took the opportunity to launch its services to the general public. The Sar and B Non-profit Foundation aims to combat and reduce the effect of cancer on the Guyanese population by providing treatment and screening for citizens.
Volunteerism enthusiast Bibi Sheonarine, with the help of her close relatives, friends and medical colleagues, launched the organization after experiencing first-hand the effect that cancer can have on patients and their families.
Mrs Sheonarine expressed that the organization was founded in honor of her parents — Sarifan Amjad Yusuf and Mohamed Yusuf, and her mother-in-law Mangri Sheonarine, who all passed away due to varying types of cancer.
Volunteerism enthusiast Bibi Sheonarine (centre) is flanked by members of the Sar&B Foundation
She explained that whilst on a volunteer mission distributing clothing to Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana, she noticed that citizens of the other two countries seemed carefree, but a lot of Guyanese citizens told stories of being affected by cancer. As a result of this, she said, she felt compelled to leave her home in California to return home and start the organization.
Specifically, the Sar and B Foundation is working to provide cancer screenings, mammograms and pap smears for citizens around Guyana. The foundation has already begun doing outreaches, providing pap smears for women. At the moment the foundation has 50,000 pap kits on order, to continue this type of outreach.
Speaking at the intimate gathering of the launching of this foundation, Dr Narindat Sooknandan spoke about the struggle it has been to get accessible treatment and testing for patients.
“We never had radio therapy, we never had chemotherapy, now we have all this,” he said.
He expressed gratitude at being part of such an initiative, where he could be of service to those in need.
To date, the Sar and B Foundation, with the assistance of Dr Sooknandan has done approximately 97 pap smears in areas on the West Coast of Demerara and in Berbice; and is looking forward to working with Government, hospitals, private doctors, businesses, and like-minded entities to bring a halt to cancer in Guyana.
