Rawlins village resident, fitness trainer and local TV personality Lea Parris, will be arriving in Nevis from England on Monday, Feb. 4, 2008, in time to host the Pink Lily breast cancer care Nevis, charity Launch Event on Saturday 9th February at the Old Manor Hotel.
Lea, herself a breast cancer patient, receiving treatment in England, discovered on a recent visit to Nevis that the island had no mammogram machine or cancer treatments available, and that very little was available in terms of information or support.
She has now set up a charitable organisation called Pink Lily Breast Cancer Care Nevis,
Lea is looking for international and local support of donations, sponsorship and any kind of help to obtain a mammogram machine, medical and surgical equipment, medical volunteers, medication and hospital furniture.
She wants Pink Lily bccn to raise enough support to donate a cancer unit to the Alexandra hospital site, which will offer screening, life-saving surgery, treatment and medication, counselling, and practical support for cancer patients and their families.
Lea is appealing to Nevisians everywhere to come together to help fight cancer in Nevis. She says: “I have been appealing to British Nevisians to get in touch with me to support the fundraising efforts, help raise awareness and to organise fundraising events.”
She also wants volunteers on the island itself to use their skills and contacts to help develop and run the charity in order to provide information, education and support, and to organise fund-raising events.
Lea was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2007, had a mastectomy in May, and is now receiving chemotherapy which will be followed by radiotherapy.
Lea wanted to use her breast cancer experience and positive attitude to help others, so she got her doctors’ approval to delay chemotherapy and radiotherapy so she could make trips to Nevis to start raising breast cancer awareness and to set the charity in motion.
Lea has been raising the profile of Pink Lily bccn on English and Nevisian radio and television and spoken to newspapers to share her experience and offer her support to others affected by cancer.
Just a couple of weeks prior to Lea’s diagnosis, Lea’s mother, Mary Parris, also of Rawlins village, was also diagnosed with breast cancer. She too has had surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.
Lea’s father Robert Parris is originally from Nevis but has lived in England for 48 years. He returns to Nevis for holidays, where he still has close family and many friends.
Lea herself, a mother of one, has lived in Nevis since 1997 and is better known as TV fitness training personality on NNC and aerobics instructor at Phyzix Health Sport and Fitness.
