350 strong run/walk for cancer cure
The activity saw Matthew Adam being the first male at the finishing point. Alicia Neil was the first female finisher.
Run/walk for a cure
"The Cancer Society has resurrected, it’s amazing, it’s really amazing. The turnout was unbelievable, the passion for the cause was well spoken in silence, I am extremely moved this morning," said President (Ag.) of the BVI Cancer Society, Mrs Gloria Fahie.
Participants were so eager to run and walk for a cure that once they were tagged with their numbers at Captain Mulligan's in Nanny Cay they were promptly at the starting line for the 6 A.M. start.
Mr Adam refused to collect tokens, gifts and prizes as he said he did it for the cause and not the presents. Ms Alicia Neil was said to have been a regular supporter of the event and a frequent front runner.
Sweat & tears
Many persons along the way were seen holding the hands of others, some singing praises, while there were those who even shed tears in memory of loved ones who would have passed on due to chronic illnesses. “This was very emotional for me. I lost my mother two years ago and thinking of her I could not sleep last night as I was eager to do this activity in her honour this morning,” said one participant.
Secret out
Mr Raynard, a tourist who was among those to show much emotion during the event, said he learnt about the activity went he came out to walk his dog. “I took her right back home, got me a T and joined. The truth is I am a cancer survivor and has never shared this with my family or friends back home. Until now it was something between me and my doctor,” he told Virgin Islands News Online.
The man at that point was moved to tears noting that it was the show of love and passion for the cause by VIslanders that touched him. He was among the first fifty persons to make it from the starting point to the Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park where everyone converged for breakfast and other forms of fellowship.
LIME for life
A few yards from the finishing line was a team of persons from LIME BVI who presented each participant with LIME gift packages. Among them was Head of Department of Marketing and Corporate Communications of Lime BVI and TCI, Mr Kareem-Nelson Hull who could not stop saying how impressed he was at the turnout and evident energy.
“We take our involvement in the community very seriously and we are happy and humbled that the BVI Cancer Society asked us to be a part of this event. It was great pinking up the place for a purpose,” he said.
In excess of three hundred and fifty (350) persons registered this morning to participate, surpassing the two hundred and fifty (250) benchmark target. “This was remarkable and so we’ll up the target to five hundred for next year,” said Mr Hull.
Shame on Government
“I am so disappointed that not even one Minister of the Government turned out this morning to show their support, this is really sad, we have been getting so much lip service, we are fed up of the lip service. This is something that we need to work together... I have been saying this, I have been appealing to them for us to work together, not one Government official here among so many of their people,” said an emotional Gloria Fahie.
She vented her feelings as she returned thanks to the hundreds who turned out as well as to the sponsors.
Public Relations Officer of the BVI Cancer Society, Ms Stacy Lloyd noted the key sponsors were LIME and Barefoot Wine Bubbly. Both entities were on the spot this morning with persons from the headquarters of the latter travelling from the USA specifically to participate.
On the spot
Mrs Margarette Whyte-Cole of the Breast Cancer Club made an on-the-spot donation to the BVI Cancer society as she said she and members of the club recognize the depth of the cause.
A speechless Mrs Jennifer Chichester was moved to tears as she was surprised with special honours for her dedication and commitment to the BVI Cancer Society. PRO Stacy Lloyd threw the surprise announcement as Chichester was busy serving breakfast.
Mrs Chichester is the mother of Miss BVI 2013 Rosanna K. Chichester.
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22 Responses to “350 strong run/walk for cancer cure”
A grant they contine to recieve from the Government. Is that not a show of support for the cause? Come on now, would a Government who did not care for the cause do that? We need to stop making everything in our country political, it's destroying us.
Just get off of it and continue to do your part to help with the problem. SMH