By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

TWO major events will give Bahamians an opportunity to support health causes early in the New Year with the staging of the upcoming Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas and the 50th Annual Sir Victor Sassoon Heart Ball.

Marathon Bahamas and Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure will stage a marathon, half marathon and relay race on Saturday and Sunday in support of breast cancer programmes.

The race is an annual event not only to raise money for breast cancer patients and to bring attention to a disease that affects many Bahamian women.
Now in its fifth year, Shelly Wilson, director of Marathon Bahamas and vice president of Sunshine Insurance, said it has really became synonymous with raising awareness and raising funds towards health; specifically cancer related causes in both women and men.

“We sell products like health, life and motor insurance and we want to prove to the public that we are beyond just the bottom line; it is really about raising awareness in the community and it is just good corporate citizenship. The Bahamas is a unique country in that we have one of the highest percentages of women with the BRCA 1 gene, which not only gives them a predisposition to have breast cancer, but it means that they have it younger and they find out that they have it in an aggressive form. So that is something that is very serious for us as a country,” said Ms Wilson.

She said Sunshine Insurance is pushing to raise educational awareness because if you can save just one mother, this can have a rippling effect.

“Chances are she has children, so it has a effect for us as a country,” she said.

Each year she said, the race draws international attention, but it is important for Bahamians to participate as well.

“There is no additional encouragement someone needs to know other than: a) we are faced with a cancer epidemic, and b) we have a very easy cause, putting on some sneakers and walking three miles which really takes very little training and effort. At the same time you have a feel good spirit that you are doing something for the people of the Bahamas,” said Ms Wilson.

Another component of the Sunshine Insurance Race weekend includes a health and fitness expo at the Wyndham Crystal Palace Ballroom on Cable Beach. That event takes place between 3-7pm on Saturday.

“This is that event where persons within the community,vendors, exhibitors, gyms, health and fitness companies come out and they have booths. This year we have over 30 exhibitors at the heath and fitness expo. Also at that expo, people who are running in the marathon, they collect their bags and shirts,” said Ms Wilson.

Beneficiaries for the Sunshine Insurance/Marathon Bahamas events are: The Cancer Society of The Bahamas, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group, The Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative and the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama.

Heart Ball set for February 15

The Heart Ball, to be held at the Milea Nassau Beach Resort on February 15, has been the main fundraiser of the Heart Foundation for almost 50 years. Over 97 percent of all funds raised by The Heart Foundation go directly to heart care.
The ball will be held under the theme “Celebrating the Golden Anniversary of a Vision….Championing the Cause of Children.” There will be entertainment by the Soulful Groovers (SG) Band.

“We have always held the ball annually and we are very grateful that we can actually continue the work that was started many years ago. We are prayerful that we can even expand on it,” said Ingrid Sears, PR Officer of the Heart Ball Committee.

For over 50 years, the Sassoon Heart Foundation has assisted more than 4,000 young Bahamians with heart ailments. They work in partnership with the Bahamas Heart Association to raise awareness of heart disease and what people can do to live heart healthy lifestyles. The foundation relies heavily on the generosity of others to save lives.

“ For the most part, this year’s theme reflects the past and highlights where we are going. We are grateful for the vision that it all started with 50 years ago,” said Ms Sears.

She said it is important for Bahamians to come on board and support the Heart Ball because the children are indeed the future, and the future should be preserved.

“The persons who would have benefited in the past, those persons live productive lives. They are persons who make an impact in our society and we want persons to realise that this is our future and if you can help save a life, you never know the very life you save may be yours.

“I cannot say how many persons in the Bahamas are affected but I can say that heart disease is the number one killer of persons throughout the Bahamas and the world. For many persons, especially adults, heart disease is developed when we don’t take care of ourselves. With children sadly, many of them are born with heart disease and you are looking at one out of six children born with heart disease,” said Ms Sears.