NEGRIL, Westmoreland – Sandals Negril in partnership with the Misty Blue Cancer Care Foundation, recently hosted its annual ‘Simply the Breast’ awareness seminar, this time, targeting team members, several of whom received free or discounted mammograms, courtesy of Sandals Negril and Hospiten.

Team members attended the interactive session to hear from breast cancer survivors who spoke about their journey, to learn the importance of keeping abreast of the deadly illness and to witness demonstrations of the breast self-examination procedure.

Dorothy Satchwell, breast cancer survivor and founder of the Misty Blue Cancer Care Foundation in Westmoreland, stressed the importance of being in the know.

“For some persons their breast cancer was first detected as a lump on their knee. Breast cancer doesn’t always manifest on the breast itself, so if you do not know that these things can happen, you will ignore the signs,” Satchwell said.

Among the attendees were some very attentive men.

Audley Birthwright, watersports manager at Sandals Negril, said the event was an eye-opener.

“Trust me, it was an empowering forum. I knew breast cancer was serious, but I came to the realisation that I also need to take better care of myself because even as a male, I am at risk. Now, I’m thinking about changing my diet, exercising and getting more rest. I have shared the information with my team at length as well, because breast cancer awareness is everybody’s business. No one knows what lies ahead,” he posited.

Satchwell also placed great emphasis on the value of support.

“When I was diagnosed and going through treatment there were two aspects to my life. The clinical and the moral support, and if I had to choose one over the other, I would definitely choose the support I got from family and friends,” stated Satchwell.

She said one of the easiest ways to lose the battle to breast cancer is to try and go through it alone. She explained that support goes a very far way and is a vital factor in the process.

“Just hearing from the survivors made it a very emotional day for me, but it taught me a lot. I did not just learn about the disease, I learnt that breast cancer is not always a death sentence. We can beat it,” shared one team member, Anasha Maitland.