Teaching Breast Health in the Bahamas with Mammogram Access Program
In July of 2022, Nikeia Watson was applying to become a Know Your Lemons Breast Health Educator, which is a Volunteer position that – through appropriate training provided by the Know Your Lemons Foundation – enables you to teach about breast health in your community.
As a certified mammographer, Nikeia’s application stood out to the KYL team, because she had a clear vision in mind of what she wanted to achieve as an Educator and how KYL could help her along the way.
She wrote in her application:
“I'm a certified mammographer (ARRT) from the Bahamas. Over the last two decades I have watched the screening rates in the Northern Bahamas drop by 90%. I'm now in my 40's and many of my friends, coworkers and former classmates have died or are currently battling breast cancer. I don't want it to be said that these things transpired under my watch.”
Nikeia left her previous employment and founded the Mammogram Access Program. After Hurricane Dorian there was only one functioning mammogram machine in the Northern Bahamas. She wrote in her application:
“I started this organization [Mammogram Access Program] shortly after Hurricane Dorian, while under covid lockdown. I resigned from my job because I wanted more for the women of my community.”
Nikeia had the following clear goals in mind when she became an educator with us:
1) Increasing the screening rate in the Northern Bahamas
2) Decreasing the average stage of diagnosis from stage 3 to stage 1
3) Decreasing the mortality rate and increasing survival
4) Ensuring that there are qualified mammographers waiting to lead the charge when she retires
While Nikeia was in training to become a Know Your Lemons Educator, we connected and established a partnership with Mammogram Access Program. In October of 2022, Corrine (our CEO & Founder) met Nikeia in the Bahamas to launch the partnership by speaking to various media outlets in Nassau, and holding a Breast Health Expo in Grand Bahama.
Corrine says about the partnership:
“It’s really exciting to see this partnership benefit so many women in Northern Bahamas. Not only are we able to train local educators to go out and teach Breast Health classes, but because of Mammogram Access Program, when women need to be referred for testing or need help in seeking out screening, they now have local advice that can help them navigate to get the access to the tools they need. It’s all about strengthening local communities to improve early detection and save lives from breast cancer, one woman at a time.”
Since the partnership was established, Nikeia and her team of locally trained Lemonistas (KYL Breast Health Educators) have educated hundreds of women on the 12 signs of breast cancer, how to self-exam and where to go for mammograms. On one occasion, Mammogram Access Program even arranged for 100 women to be flown to another island to have their first mammogram in over 3 years.
We are beyond excited to see what else Mammogram Access Program and the Know Your Lemons Foundation will achieve with this fantastic partnership!
Training people like Nikeia and her team to become Know Your Lemons Breast Health Educators is only possible because of generous donations. Help us train more women and men who will help save lives from breast cancer – through educating in their local communities.
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