For the month of October, Payless ShoeSource raises funds and awareness for a local breast cancer charity. This year’s recipient will be The Mahima Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to assisting the Hope Institute.

Formed in 2012, The Mahima Foundation was created in the memory of Monique ‘Mahima’ Geourzoung to fulfil her desire to support the Hope Institute by raising funds for the hospital’s improvement. The Hope Institute is Jamaica’s only palliative care centre and specialist oncology hospital, providing services like radiotherapy, chemotherapy, symptom control, terminal care, in-patient and out-patient care, among others.

Yendi Phillipps, ambassador for the campaign, spoke at the Operation 21 event, held on October 21 in recognition of the local cancer statistic that “one in 21 women in Jamaica will develop breast cancer in her lifetime”. Phillips told the audience about her own connection with The Mahima Foundation, as her family is friends with the Geourzoung family.

Advocating for early detection, Phillips encouraged spreading the message about self-breast exams and regular mammograms for women over 40 years.

“You tell your friend, you Instagram it, you tweet it,” said Phillipps. To bring home its significance, she told the story of Dr Jennifer Mamby-Alexander, who diagnosed herself with breast cancer doing a self-check.

“We at Payless didn’t know about the personal connection between the Geourzoung family, The Mahima Foundation and Yendi Phillipps, our BCA (Breast Cancer Awareness) ambassador, until today when she mentioned it in her speech. It’s such a small world. We’re happy to have her as our ambassador, and even more so now that we know this is a cause especially close to her heart,” said Nekeisha Critchlow, Jamaica country manager at Payless ShoeSource.

Foundation member, and breast cancer survivor, Gillian Bhalai also spoke at the event of her own experience battling the disease and the work that the foundation has been doing. Primrose Geourzoung, chairperson of the foundation, and mother of “Mahima” for whom it is named, spoke on The Hope Institute, highlighting the care it provides to patients regardless of their ability to pay.

The Geourzoung family was introduced to the Hope Institute when Monique’s doctor suggested she go there for treatment during her illness. The care and attention she received there left such an indelible mark on Monique that she wanted to be able to assist even after her passing. The Mahima Concert is an annual fund-raiser that originated to provide funds for Monique’s medical expenses, and has since continued to provide support to the Hope Institute.