The month of October, historically brings to light many important dates. This year has been an exceptional one, with Fijian celebrating 50 Years of Independence and the entire country donning the colors of the Fijian Flag.

During the month, amidst the blue, there were also shades of the sweet pink, a reminder on the need to be aware of the dangers of Cancer. October has been renamed to Pinktober, and the nation rallies on this campaign to create much needed awareness of the signs and symptoms of Cancer.

At EFL, this has become a regular feature in its annual calendar. The EFL Vuvale (family) gets together at its various main centres to create awareness and raise funds in support of the Fiji Cancer Society and fellow Fijians who have fallen prey to this disease.

Whilst we all are fearful of cancer, and it can be very easily associated with death, the medical professionals and the survivors will tell you otherwise.

One of the Cancer survivors, Ms Martha Volau shared her anecdote on how she miraculously stumbled across a symptomatic image in a religious magazine. God surely has a unique way of doing things. In her case, after going through the details in the magazine, she suspected her symptoms to be similar to cancer and opted for early medical intervention. Ms. Volau with the support of her family and employer successfully treated and waited to recover well before returning to work. Ms. Volau reiterates that it was only through God’s grace that she survived and is living a happy, healthy and spiritual life to this day.

Some of the EFL Head Office staff with Dr. Delasau, Cancer Survivor – Ms. Volau & Mr. Patel to mark Cancer Awareness Month at the EFL Head Office.

Dr Ilaitia Delasau, a gastro-intestinal surgeon from the CWM Hospital was also a guest speaker during this event. Some of the interesting points he shared with the EFL team was the importance of living a healthy life and being cautious of any changes happening within one’s own human body. He stated, “that whilst breast cancer predominantly affects females, it was startling to note that in Fiji, over the last year, 2% of breast cancer patients diagnosed were actually males”. He further stated, “that early detection and an appropriate treatment plan will avoid unnecessary loss of lives”.

Pinktober at EFL was different, with the Ministry of Health teams carrying out screening for breast cancer and cervical cancer. Over 50 staff took to the opportunity to be screened.

Refreshments provided during the event were also of a health-conscious nature with varieties of fruits provided and bu (raw coconuts & coconut water), and even the cake was made up of fresh fruits.

EFL CEO, Mr. Hasmukh Patel shared similar sentiments, reiterating that faith in God, living a healthy life should be a norm for everyone. He also echoed strongly that in the event there are any symptoms, everyone should opt for a medical check and adhere to sound medical advice