EMG HEALTH:  Another Success …

To commemorate the 10^th year breast cancer program, the team at EMG Health Communications hosted an extraordinary educational program on Sunday October 24^th at Antuns. About two hundred people, mostly women, many of them cancer survivors, came to attend this four-hour long forum where they met top experts in the field for a dialogue on the health of “The Sisters”.

Shortly after the US National Anthem and the Haitian National Anthem led by the lovely Ghislaine Dumas-Pierre were sung, Mrs. Berthe Fénelon, co-Founder of EMG Health, addressed the audience: “… we know you are giving the best of yourself to support our work.  You believe in what we are doing, and that is to promote positive changes and create improvement in physical and mental health ...  We also believe in you.  This annual educational gathering is simply to wet your appetites as there is so much to learn.   Today we are proud to give you another opportunity to know more about breast cancer”.

To break the ice, the program opened with an exotic dance performance by the belly dancers of the Kenya Group. The dancers gave a superb exhibition of their talent and the audience greeted them with great enthusiasm.  It was obvious to all that the attendees wanted more.

Dignitaries from Nassau and Queens County were introduced.  They came to show their support to EMG Health for the incredible work in public health education it has done and continues to do for the minority populations.

Thereafter, the panel of physicians were called to the dais to begin the dialogue with the program participants. Questions came from every corner of the room.  Whether they walked to the microphone or wrote down their questions, women seemed concerned about the adjuvant cancer treatments they often need following surgery.  For instance, someone wrote on a card “I continue to be scared of chemotherapy … Make me happy …”

The panelists’ responses were thorough.  Throughout the discussion, they reinforced their responses with specific scientific data base research.   The audience seemed appreciative of the presentation.

All of the invited physicians received a plaque from EMG Health Communications for being “…an outstanding resource in raising awareness in the communities at risk of breast cancer and in providing state-of-the-art care to women with cancer …”

This year’ recipient of the Jeanine Séjour Cassagnol (JSC) Award was Gladys Rousseau, “an outspoken cancer survivor with a strong spirit of optimism and a great sense of humor”.   Gladys is the 4^th recipient of the JCS award, an annual crusade to reach out to deserving women and/or servants involved in the fight against Cancer.  In a very emotional moment, Marlène Séjour came forward to present the trophy in honor of her mother, Jeanine Cassagnol Séjour.

Bernadine Morose, a twenty-year old woman who survived the January 12^th earthquake in Haïti, was recognized by EMG Health.  EMG Health’s staff learned of her during one of its weekly sponsored-community programs. Bernadine was on crutches with a tiny right leg which was maimed after a concrete wall fell on her, breaking the leg in several pieces.  She survived her ordeal with faith and stoicism; she says that ‘God wanted me to live’….    Bernadine received a standing ovation for her strength in overcoming the challenges of this horrific seism and for her spirit of determination to live her life to the fullest.  On a joyous note:  Mr. and Mrs. Ernst Noncent, owner of NGSS Computer World in Valley Stream, and guests of the event, offered a brand new laptop and printer to Bernadine to help her with her homework.

The afternoon ended with the MACARENA song and dance performed by the highly motivational, three times cancer survivor, Dr. Marlena Vega.  The entire room was moving as Dr. Vega was gesticulating and showing the way she does her breast self exam (BSE) using the Macarena rhythm as a backdrop.  Finally, you could see everyone doing the BSE while dancing.  It was rare to see such a public display of women doing BSE.

It was another well organized community event that was emotionally uplifiting.

KUDOS to EMG Health Communications.  With wishes of more years of commitment and community services.