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Vandaag laten we Tamara Neuman aan het woord.
On tuesday, I attended the conference ‘Kombersa Salfi’ (He- alth Dialogue) organized by Fundashon Prevenshon in celebration of their tenth anniversary. It was a very well-organized event; guests were first warmly welcomed to the foyer, where they enjoyed a coffee or tea and a pretty ‘snack box’ while listening to the sweet relaxing sounds of a saxophonist entertaining the crowd.
When it was time for the conference to start, guests were invited to take a seat in the large conference room where there was a simply but tastefiifly decorated stage with a ‘lounge’ for the speakers. The conference included an interview with gynecologic oncologist dr. Igor Gomes Bravio and general practitioner dr. Cha- risse Calor, who talked about the benefits of preventive care by screening for the HPV virus through Fundashon Prevenshon.
There was also a panel consisting of mrs. Frieda Geller of the Princess Wilhelmina Fund, nutritionist mrs. Eurlyne Konket and 801000 walker mr. Curd Evertsz who discussed the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious foods and regular exercise.
Mr. Evertsz opened the discussion by first making everyone stand up and walk a lap around the room to ‘get the blood flowing’ and just for a minute there I was afraid that Curd, who also happened to be my coach way back in my triathlon days, was going to make us do sprint sets again for old times sakes!
The evening continued with a courageous young woman who told her poignant story of battling cervical cancer, which thankfully had a happy ending. The thought-provoking evening concluded with a candid interview with our own cancer specialist, the remarkable professor Bob Pinedo, who generously took the time to answer questions from the public. Professor Pinedo also explained that they are working on a screening test to detect colon cancer and he hopes this test will soon become part of the Fundashon Prevenshon screening project as well. It was an educational evening to say the least, during which the moderator as well as the interviewers did an eloquent job keeping the conversation flowing.
The take away of the evening is that prevention saves lives. It is up to us as individuals to take control of our health. Nothing in life is a guarantee but by registering with Fundashon Prevenshon and having your mam- mograms and HPV screenings done through them, you greatly increase your chances of an early detection of breast or cervical cancer, thereby also greatly increasing your chances of survival.
If it was the intention of Fundashon Prevenshon to give the public comprehensive information in an amicable atmosphere they more than reached their mark; my sincerest compliments to all organizers and I hope more of these seminars will follow. Fundashon Prevenshon is doing their utmost to bring awareness to the Curacao public, it’s time for us to act on it!
Tamara Neuman,
Curacao