Role Players 2017
Shamima Patel Teeluck
President
Breast Cancer Care
Breast Cancer care was set up on 20th March 2014 upon my own experience and initiative. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. Thanks to timely medical help and the unflinching support of my near and dear ones, I have been able to overcome the illness and I am now in remission. As a cancer survivor, I feel the need to share my experience and instill hope in those who are struggling with breast cancer and it's aftermath.
Breast Cancer Care aims at informing and sensitizing public opinion to breast cancer. It comprises of 60 members which includes doctors and therapists. Our health professionals encourage women to go for an early detection through seminars, workshops and sensitization campaigns which are held on a regular basis in different parts of the country. Up to now, we have offered free medical check-ups to more than 8000 women in Mauritius and Rodrigues. Our team regularly calls at the hospitals to visit cancer patients and offer them psychological and emotional support so that they may cultivate a positive mental attitude and stoically undergo medical treatment which is often painful and time consuming.
We have opened our Office in Vacoas, where we offer various activities such as: free weekly consultations, group / family / one to one therapy, weekly yoga, zumba and IT sessions, weekly empowerment activities, distribution of prosthesis, scarves Wigs, Lymphedema Compression Sleeves and Mastectomy Bras. Our Psychotherapist does weekly visits at Hospitals and home visits, where she distributes the materials as well as encourage patients and invite them to join BCC Team.
We also organize outings for our patients four times a year. We go around the island once or twice a month for Awareness Campaigns accompanied by our Medical and para Medical Team. Breast Cancer Care is also honoured to have been able to offer a breast reconstruction surgery to one of its patients.
Since one year, upon detection of suspicious cases during our Campaigns, we bear the costs for further investigations (Ultra Sound & Mammography) for those who need immediate follow up and do not have the means to do so. We now have our own Ultrasound machine at our office in our Centre in Vacoas.
Last year, we received funds from the European Union and we were able to launch another office 'Merline Augustin Breast Cancer Care Centre' in Rodrigues, which was named after one of our board members who passed away due to breast cancer and it offers the same services as in Mauritius.
In Dec 2016, I was ranked among 100 most influential woman in Mauritius and was also part of the campaign "violence against women" organised by the European Union. I was also part of the 10 women chosen by the magazine "Essentielle" (number one woman magazine in Mauritius), to be a woman Mauritius can still count on in the coming 10 years.
I hope my zest for life and indomitable spirit will encourage other survivors to continue their fight and put a hand together to fight breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Care aims at informing and sensitizing public opinion to breast cancer. It comprises of 60 members which includes doctors and therapists. Our health professionals encourage women to go for an early detection through seminars, workshops and sensitization campaigns which are held on a regular basis in different parts of the country. Up to now, we have offered free medical check-ups to more than 8000 women in Mauritius and Rodrigues. Our team regularly calls at the hospitals to visit cancer patients and offer them psychological and emotional support so that they may cultivate a positive mental attitude and stoically undergo medical treatment which is often painful and time consuming.
We have opened our Office in Vacoas, where we offer various activities such as: free weekly consultations, group / family / one to one therapy, weekly yoga, zumba and IT sessions, weekly empowerment activities, distribution of prosthesis, scarves Wigs, Lymphedema Compression Sleeves and Mastectomy Bras. Our Psychotherapist does weekly visits at Hospitals and home visits, where she distributes the materials as well as encourage patients and invite them to join BCC Team.
We also organize outings for our patients four times a year. We go around the island once or twice a month for Awareness Campaigns accompanied by our Medical and para Medical Team. Breast Cancer Care is also honoured to have been able to offer a breast reconstruction surgery to one of its patients.
Since one year, upon detection of suspicious cases during our Campaigns, we bear the costs for further investigations (Ultra Sound & Mammography) for those who need immediate follow up and do not have the means to do so. We now have our own Ultrasound machine at our office in our Centre in Vacoas.
Last year, we received funds from the European Union and we were able to launch another office 'Merline Augustin Breast Cancer Care Centre' in Rodrigues, which was named after one of our board members who passed away due to breast cancer and it offers the same services as in Mauritius.
In Dec 2016, I was ranked among 100 most influential woman in Mauritius and was also part of the campaign "violence against women" organised by the European Union. I was also part of the 10 women chosen by the magazine "Essentielle" (number one woman magazine in Mauritius), to be a woman Mauritius can still count on in the coming 10 years.
I hope my zest for life and indomitable spirit will encourage other survivors to continue their fight and put a hand together to fight breast cancer.