A couple of years ago when Lisa Bennett underwent mastectomy and got one of her breasts removed, she was barely prepared for what lay ahead. If waging the battle against the deadly disease was one part of the challenge, her partial flat chest drew unnecessary attention, making her become more conscious.
Thankfully, she bounced back with renewed vigour in a short span of time as she donned a new avatar with breast prosthesis. “When one loses a breast or both, it leaves a psychological impact on the patient. Using breast prosthesis not only made me feel more confident but also helped in leading an active social life,” said Lisa Bennett, who runs Dunamus Outreach, Australia-based NGO that caters to children’s education and creative needs across the globe.
With a mission to reach out to those who face similar challenges like her, Ms. Lisa Bennett along with her husband Mitchelle and physician Geoff Darves from Australia gave away 25 prosthesis kits to cancer survivors at Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital and Research Institute (MGCHRI) on Saturday. The endeavour was supported by Manna Group of Ministries, an NGO. “My mother is a cancer survivor and the breast prosthesis helped her lead a normal life in no time. Since the product is little expensive, we thought that distributing the kits to the needy would go a long way in renewing their confidence level,” explained Pilli Roselyn, a volunteer of the local chapter of Manna Group of Ministries.
A ray of hope
This is the sixth time that Ms. Lisa Bennett and her husband have been visiting India.
“We love people in India. Though we have been sponsoring education for deprived children so far, this is the first time that we have taken up the distribution of breast prosthesis kits in Visakhapatnam. We thought that these products will give a new ray of hope to the needy and help them be on their own,” she said. Stressing on the importance of early detection of cancer, surgical oncologist and managing director of MGCHRI V. Murali Krishna said: “NGOs play an imperative role in community outreach programmes such as these. However, cancer survivors need not miss their social life due to removal of a part in the body as these silicone padded products look as good as the original part of the body.”
