MONTEGO BAY, St James — Cancer survivor and coordinator of the Montego Bay Cancer Support Group, Llauna Gordon-Humphreys, knows just how much of a financial struggle it can be for anyone whose life has been upended by the disease.

She was thrilled when the Kiwanis Club of Providence, Montego Bay, donated $109,000 each to 20 members of the group. The funds, raised from the club’s run/walk event staged late last year, were handed out on April 4.

“[For] the people who are receiving this it will assist them to get basic things like food and help with some of the medications that they can’t get at Cornwall [Regional Hospital],” Gordon-Humphreys told the Jamaica Observer.

“Ordinary thing like vitamins, the HB Fortex that is not there, they can buy those and they can get some fruits, some vegetables to help with the diet. So this is the main thing that this is going to do over a period; they see the daylight,” she added.

Gordon-Humphreys said some of those who have been undefeated by cancer now have to struggle to live while saddled with bills.

“This year, it is going to make a difference in the lives of so many of our cancer survivors who are at bottom; they’ve reached a point,” she lamented.

“Even one called me this afternoon, she is at the bottom,” she continued.

Gordon-Humphreys used the opportunity to express her gratitude to the club on behalf of the recipients. She said the club’s generosity is the only help they can count on.

“This is the only support we get each year, nobody else does, only the Kiwanis Club of Providence, Montego Bay, and it means a whole lot to us, it really does,” she said.

“I know it’s done with all their heart and all their love and everything, and we received it gratefully. Heartfelt deepest, deepest love, really appreciate it,” she added.

Gordon-Humphreys, who has had her challenges with one form of cancer since 1985, said she has been working, through the support group, to help others in a similar situation. Any support she can get is appreciated.

“This is coming from my heart when I tell you we so appreciate what they do each year and that they went out their way to contribute to so many recipients this year, I know it wasn’t easy for them to do what they did,” she said of the club’s donation.

Along with the 20 recipients, the Cornwall Regional Hospital and the Jamaica Cancer Society were also given donations. Each entity received more than $1 million.

The hospital’s Senior Medical Officer Dr Derrick Harvey gratefully accepted the donation on behalf of the western-based facility and he remarked on the timeliness of the donation.

“Breast cancer, specifically, is a disease that is increasing in incidence, especially in the young women in Montego Bay,” he said.

He said while the hospital has treatment and screening modalities which individuals can access, sometimes more is needed, and that is where these donations can help.

“Government treats persons for free, but they may have some issues where they need some financial benefits — whether it be extra screening, which is done outside of the hospital, or whether, for example, you may have hormonal studies which may need to be done,” he said.

“Funds like these go a far way in assisting persons like that,” Dr Harvey explained.

For his part, Jamaica Cancer Society Executive Director Michael Leslie said the funds will help raise cancer awareness and related initiatives within the organisation.

“It also helps us to boost our screening programme so we can screen more persons for breast cancer in Jamaica,” he pointed out.

Held in October 2023, the run/walk/wheelchair event surpassed its $5-million target. That was its 14th staging and the all-female club is already looking forward to this year’s event. Club President Althea Allen-Keen said they are going to be very ambitious with their target, but she opted not to say what it is just yet.