| | |  Health & Beauty 
Helping Survivors Feel Feminine Again Cancer de Mama Clinic, February 6-8, La Penita RV Park
 Tara A. Spears - JaltembaSol.com
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February 02, 2010
Mexican women traveling from as far away as Ixtlan del Rio, Santiago, and Tepic.
| | More than 400 breast cancer survivors from all over the state of Nayarit will be taking buses to the La Penita RV park from February 6-8 for this year's Cancer de Mama Clinic. | |
Calling all seamstresses! Sewing machines and sewers still needed! Contact Mary Bell at cancerdemamaclinic(at)yahoo.com or call Maruca at (327) 274-0715. Over 700 bras must be sewn for prostheses! Come to La Penita RV Park Site #57, Wednesday & Thursday, February 3 & 4 at 9 am if you wish to help.
Even in the altruistic community of La Penita, where the international residents are very giving, the kind hearted folks at the RV Park stand out for their volunteerism. One of the Park's main charitable activities is hosting the annual Cancer de Mama Clinic - totally free to the women clients from all over the Mexican state of Nayarit.
"We have seven buses confirmed," said co-chair Maruca Dinsmore. "That's a minimum of 400 women to prepare for." Not only does the organization provide the professional fitting, the breast cancer survivor is given a prostheses that costs $1,800-5,500 pesos and are only available in this country from Mexico City.
The breast prostheses project was started in 1996 by Jackie Jackson, from Enderby, B.C. and the cause was adopted by the La Penita RV Park residents in 2008. They are committed to providing this much needed service. In addition to donations from Canadian medical companies, particularly the wonderful ladies from Nightingale Medical Supplies in Vernon, B.C. who are certified post-mastectomy fitters, travel here to help. The park clubhouse is transformed into a clinic with eight private cubicles that are pleasantly decorated to ease the women's anxiety and to help the women feel respected, comfortable, and safe.
The Cancer de Mama group is busily preparing for this year's clinic. Besides the myriad sizes of donated prostheses and brassieres, all the bras need to be altered to hold the prostheses. This year the organization is giving out brochures (in Spanish) of after surgery physical therapy exercises.
In addition, Cancer de Mama has a limited number of wigs for those women that lost their hair through chemo therapy. The buses are too large to travel right to the clinic door, so park volunteers ferry the women from the north Pemex station parking lot to the clubhouse.
Because the women are traveling from as far away as Ixtlan del Rio, Santiago and Tepic, and with the wait time to be fitted and the bra customized for her, this is a long day for clients. The Cancer de Mama provides beverages and a meal prepared by volunteers and donated food from Abel, Armando's Tortias, and cook Marie's family.
The mission of the Cancer de Mama group is to provide a service that is part of the healing process for survivors of breast cancer: to give prostheses that enable the woman to restore her appearance and dignity. For all the clients and volunteers, language and cultural barriers disappear as women reach out to each other with caring and concern for those trying to beat this terrible disease.
Through the tears and hugs a spirit of hope prevails. As co-chair Judy Kranjne sums up the volunteers' reaction, "Receiving a prostheses enables the woman to feel accepted and able to participate in social interactions again. For all of us, it is a real friendship."
Please support the work of this dedicated group by purchasing a Cancer de Mama T-shirt for $150 pesos! Order by telephone: (327) 274-0715 or email cancerdemamaclinic(at)yahoo.com. |
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