May 6th, 2011

Husband and wife Basia Survivor Network (BSN) directors Ricardo and Alicia Powell at the Beat Breast Cancer Music Festival at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain on May 3. Photo: Marcus Gonzales

Breast cancer is not a death sentence. This saying took on new meaning last week when scores of women, who victoriously battled the disease—including singer and radio personality Marcia Miranda—gathered at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, to show their solidarity for the second Beat Breast Cancer Music Festival. The event, scheduled for June 26 at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain features Jamaican hitmaker Maxi Priest, local stars Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, Fay Ann, Shurwayne Winchester and 3Canal, as well as St Vincentian singer, Kevin Lyttle. Hosted by the Basia Survivor Network (BSN), which is headed by husband and wife team, Ricardo and Alicia Powell, the festival is geared towards raising funds for breast cancer survivors.

A breast cancer survivor herself, Powell, the face of the popular Basia Show embarked on a public journey to beat the disease on all fronts, since her diagnosis in 2009. This year, the Powells have launched the Basia for Life Campaign to support single mothers with children in inner city areas, as well as to promote public awareness of prostate cancer. “At Basia Survivor Network, our members receive spiritual and emotional support along with healthy gourmet meals that are prepared by me and another team member,” she said. “Maintaining the high standard we set for our breast cancer network is never easy, particularly with limited resources. I now know what it means to dedicate your life to non-profit work. If you are doing it for gratitude you will fail.” Powell disclosed that BSN will also open its Ricardo Powell Academy For Early Childhood and Autism in September as the network continues its quest to make a real difference in the lives of others.

Leading Ladies

Noting that the theme of the event is a “Retro Party,” Powell said this time around, the campaign has added the colour purple to represent men suffering with prostate cancer. “As such we invite patrons to wear fuchsia, white or purple to the festival to identify with our cause.” But BSN’s work is not limited to T&T. Spreading its charitable wings into Barbados in January, BSN, in collaboration with First Citizens Bank, hosted the Caribbean Leading Ladies Conference. Powell, who was recently recognised for her work in the field of breast cancer in the Caribbean at Canada’s Olive Branch of Hope stated that her humanitarian endeavours remained her number one priorities.

Personal responsibility

Also at the conference was Carol Worrel-Charles, Executive Secretary, TSTT-bmobile, who shared with the audience her personal battle with breast cancer . Noting that the disease remained the most common type of cancer among women, Worrel-Charles, said she made her “baldness” a fashion statement and stated that her faith in God and strong family support kept her on the right path. She also took the opportunity to urge the women present to take care of their health by doing self breast examinations and regular mammograms, as every woman had a personal responsibility to stay healthy. After the conference, Powell was presented with a $15,000 cheque by Stetchers, which she said would go towards providing two people with much needed PET/CT scans and treatment. “We could not have done this alone, it’ one thing to have a dream but to have the commitment of sponsors like First Citizens, bmobile and Guardian Life, it helps us achieve our goals,” said Powell.