Cancer de Mama Clinic 2019: Measuring Success by the Smiles

Tara a. Spears

Through the years friendships have formed amongst a dedicated group of volunteers who gather, sort, and set up a temporary clinic to help their Mexican sisters that are breast cancer survivors. At first, a dozen years ago, international women were worried that they wouldn’t be useful because they don’t speak Spanish; but soon the volunteers realized that a hug and a smile said it all. In the lead photos, volunteer Carol is shown ten years apart. In the center is Jackie Jackson, who came up with the idea to provide breast prosthesis and who started the clinic in 1996.

The mood at the Cancer de Mama Clinic was upbeat, underscored with hope and compassion as the volunteers in cheerful pink shared smiles and hugs with the hundreds of women from throughout Nayarit. Many of the women traveled for hours by bus to receive assistance at the annual breast cancer clinic. In addition to new prosthetic bra, each woman is given a gel prosthesis and knit ‘tit bit’, a head covering, a lunch and a chance to visit the salon for a facial and or wig. There is a ‘store’ she can visit for additional bras.

This year, a kind resident of the La Penita RV Park, Josie Curren, gifted the women with a lovey rose silk flower keepsake. The hat shack is bulging with donated jewelry, scarves, caps and hats that each patient can receive one.

This grassroots effort is solely funded by donations and without any paid staff. The astonishing transformation of the senior center into an attractive, organized clinic for three days requires the cooperation and year-round efforts of many people. Even more amazing is that the majority of the clinic volunteers do not live in Mexico, but visit seasonally. The medical prosthesis are hauled from Canada and the US by RVs , as are the majority of other supplies used at the clinic. Many local merchants donate food items that become the meal for the clients and volunteers. Other concerned people volunteer time to sort, organize, and prepare for the clinic. The Cancer de Mama department chairs have great talent besides their tremendous heart. Thank you all for what you do!

For many women in Nayarit, just surviving the breast removal surgery is not enough, there is still a huge uphill battle for regaining self-esteem and feeling like a woman again. Statistics from the Mexican National Institute of Salud Publica indicate that breast cancer mortality has increased in Nayarit. There is a lack of after surgery care proved by the government for the lower socioeconomic individuals without health insurance, which is approximately 60% of the Nayarit population. The Cancer de Mama Clinic addresses this real need by providing free medical prosthesis, tidbits, and special bras to women breast cancer

survivors from our region.

In addition, a significant number of Nayarit breast cancer survivors have the complication of lymphedema. The La Penita Cancer de Mama Clinic has tried to provide up-to-date education and quality prosthesis to the hundreds of women that journey to the annual clinic. In 2017, the clinic added treatment for the women affected by secondary lymphedema. Approximately 40% of the Mexican ladies seen last year were suffering from lymphedema, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe. (In Canada, the prevalence of lymph-edema in post-mastectomy patients is about 8%).

Unfortunately, the majority of Mexican women that come to the La Penita Cancer de Mama Clinic did not receive guidance or instruction for addressing this condition at the time of her surgery. The special wraps and compression sleeves are expensive and only last about a year in this humid climate. The special compression wraps ease the pain. Thanks to volunteer Caroline Maze, herself a breast cancer survivor, for spearheading the initiative to address this issue for the patients of the clinic. You can go to the cancer de mama clinic web page for information on donating or contact Caroline Maze directly on Face Book.

For the volunteers the experience is so empowering that they return year after year. Thank you to all for making each clinic a success!