Grieving family contributes to cancer awareness education |31 January 2015

Before she died of cancer one of her wishes was that her family makes a donation of proceeds collected during her funeral service to the Cancer Concern Association (CCA) to help raise more awareness on the disease  and it was exactly what her family has done.

During a short ceremony on Tuesday afternoon, almost two weeks after Georgina Gappy died on January 16, her daughter Sharon and son Terence -- their father Daniel could not make it -- donated a sum of R10,000 to the CCA chairperson Bishop Emeritus French Chang-Him. This was in the presence of some members of the association.

It was a little more than a year ago that Georgina Gappy -- a wife, mother and grandmother -- was diagnosed with a cancer after a fall which was like a wakeup call and a trigger of what she was going to go through.

These included the countless times she had to visit different doctors for the pain in her back sustained as a result of the fall but to no avail until very much later that it all came to light that she was suffering from a cancer and not just from the result of the fall.

“Mother suffered a lot from the disease but she was a brave woman all along. Her wishes before she died were that her body be cremated, that mourners do not bring flowers at the funeral service but  instead make a donation which will go toward the Cancer Concern Association to help  raise more awareness of the disease  which is on the increase and causing havoc among our small population,” Mrs Gappy’s son Terence said.

“Mother appreciated the work Cancer Concern is doing to support people living with the disease and their families and we are grateful too for the support we received.  The association is doing what it can with the limited resources it has. We want to express our gratitude and hope the small contribution will help other people in the same predicament,” Sharon said.

Thanking the Gappy family for the wonderful gesture, Bishop French said it is a great encouragement to the association and the work it is doing to help and support afflicted people in need of support.

“We have different projects planned and these include finding a centre for the association and introducing grief counselling sessions this year,” Bishop French said.

Meanwhile the CCA is also gearing up to mark World Cancer Day on February 4. People are being encouraged to wear white on that day in solidarity with families who have lost members to the disease as well as with people suffering from it.  

A Walk for Hope march to start at the Seychelles Hospital at 5pm ending with praise and worship at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception  is among activities being organised to commemorate that day.