Elektralyets Foundation President Mercedes “Elektra” Wyatt and Positive Foundation President Shelly Alphonso.
PHILIPSBURG--Positive Foundation and Elektralyets Foundation have been pioneers in the fight against prostate cancer on the island of St. Maarten for the past five years. Positive Foundation President Shelly Alphonso and Elektralyets Foundation President Mercedes “Elektra” Wyatt have been champions of prostate cancer awareness since the inception of the first campaign in 2019.
The Daily Herald sat with these two ladies recently to highlight their mission and plans for future prostate cancer campaigns.
The foundations initially got involved in prostate cancer awareness after being repeatedly approached by members of the community about when they were going to do something for men. In 2019, St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) urologists Dr. Diego Ramos and Dr. Carlos Rojas sounded an alarm that there were alarming issues and advanced stages of prostate cancer on St. Maarten and they felt that sufficient information was not being given to men for early detection. After they spoke with the two foundations, the ladies took up the challenge and launched the “Man Up, Checkup” campaign in September of that year.
In two weeks the foundations brainstormed, planned and organised the first prostate cancer awareness campaign.
The foundations realised that they needed to reach out to men where they were instead of waiting for the men to come to them. They partnered with Napa Auto Parts and Kooyman to set up the first drives to register men for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test screenings.
From these drives, many men were pre-registered for PSA screening. Towards the end of September 2019, a large men’s health awareness event was held at SMMC where men received their prostate tests free of charge.
Over the past five years, the foundations have since expanded partnerships with Kooyman, Napa, St. Maarten Laboratory Services (SLS), Collective Preventive Services (CPS), SMMC and many more organisations as part of the annual prostate cancer campaigns.
In the same year, 2019, the foundations also created a select group of men known as the “Blue Faces”. The “Blue Faces” are prostate cancer warriors and survivors who have been championed by the foundations to share their stories as part of the prostate cancer awareness campaign. These men were chosen based on their willingness to share their stories accurately and correctly. They further encourage other men to get screened early for prostate cancer.
The ladies explained that the “Blue Faces” came about as a way to get men’s attention on prostate cancer, to also encourage them to start a conversation with their doctors to be able to get tested.
Although prostate cancer awareness is recognised world-wide primarily during the month of September, the ladies said they would like to advocate getting the message about the importance of getting checked out to the men in the community year-round. This can be done through social media and other means.
Ever seeking ways to reach more men in the community, the two foundations have acknowledged one of their challenges to be the language barriers. They have already put their heads together in seeking ways in which to communicate their message in other languages commonly used in the community. For example, they have already gotten a head start on this in working together with the Haitian consul to translate several messages in their campaign.
The foundations said there are many ideas and plans behind the scene, but limitations do present themselves. Business partners are important in assisting with funds and other services for campaigns. The foundations have addressed financial challenges through creative methods such as barter-type agreements, but are always seeking ways in which to work closely together with business partners to ensure that they can continue to provide engaging campaigns and events for men in the community.
The foundations expressed their commitment to staying current and innovative in their approach to prostate cancer awareness. The dedication and hard work put into these prostate cancer campaigns are evident each year. They take this very seriously and cannot stress how much hard work they put into these campaigns.
“People see the end product, which may look great, but don’t always understand just how much work and dedication it takes to make what we do happen,” the ladies said. Once they have committed to something, they will see it through.
Both Alphonso and Wyatt work full-time while also organising these events, which is quite a task. The work is never done, but their passion and determination propel them to continue.
Men who have gone through the process of having prostate cancer recognise that early detection is key to better treatment options. They want to share their experiences with other men and encourage them to test early. The foundations are also exploring the relationship between dietary choices and prostate cancer, as they believe this is an important aspect of prevention.
The work that Positive Foundation and Elektralyets Foundation have put into these campaigns is commendable. The foundations’ commitment to prostate cancer awareness has made a significant impact on the island of St. Maarten over the past five years.
Their dedication to educating men about the importance of early detection has resulted in more men under 40 coming out to recent prostate cancer awareness events. Despite their challenges, the passion and determination of the foundations’ presidents Shelly Alphonso and Mercedes “Elektra” Wyatt have propelled them to continue their mission.
