Helen Watson, president of Ibiza and Formentera Against Cancer (IFCC) stops short of a hug. “I don’t know if I can”, she explains. She misses the hugs and kisses lost during the pandemic, which has been hard for everyone but has been even harder for those who were sick with cancer. And for those who were very close to someone with cancer. Watson has been at the helm of the organisation for twelve years, having started working there five years earlier, when she was British Consul in Ibiza. On Thursday night she will receive the Diario de Ibiza Award for Social Action for her work to help cancer patients and their families. At the IFCC they fought for radiotherapy on the island, they offer financial aid to patients who need it, they set up colon cancer screening and the lymphedema unit, they publish health guides, they have covered the cost of improvements in the hospital for users and professionals of the Oncology unit and more. “We couldn’t do without Helen Watson”, they said last year at Can Misses Hospital, where they presented her with the Codo con Codo award.
Twelve years now at the helm of IFCC, when you look back, what goes through your mind?
Well, we have come a long way, we are going a long way. We’ve improved some things in colon cancer screening, where you know you can save a life. Breast cancer screening is working very, very well, we are very happy because people are receiving their letters to come, but there are problems. Many people have moved and not changed their address. And because they haven’t, they don’t get the letters and then we get complaints that they don’t get the mammogram appointment. When we look into it we see that in almost all cases the address is not correct. We want to investigate it properly, we have to talk to the Health Department to see how it could be done, a kind of census. It’s also happening with colon cancer screening, the letters don’t arrive.
It’s just that many people, even if they move, don’t change their address at the Health Department so that they don’t have to change their family doctor.
Yes, I know. But it is important because information is being lost. We are struggling to do screenings and doctors aren’t able to do their jobs.
Maybe we could suggest that they ask for it themselves at the health centres.
Yes, of course. We have to find a way. It is one of the projects that we can do now because it’s not going to cost us a lot of money. As we have been able to do hardly any fundraising events during this time the bank accounts are getting very low. We’ve done little things, like walks. Just now Margaret called me, a woman who organises small walks two or three times a year, she did one on October 9th and told me that she has raised 960€. That’s a lot! There are also people who make contributions, we have the money boxes and the members, which are very important. It’s only ten euros a year. It’s not much.
For the full interview, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.