Tea party raises R20 000 for Breast Health Foundation

Women from all walks of life (and a few men) gathered at Featherbrooke Estate on Saturday 7 March for Pink Mad Hatter event dubbed ‘A Journey into rabbit’s hole’.

This was an event that aimed to raise funds for the Breast Health Foundation and indeed the objective was reached as R20 000 was raised on the day. In welcoming everyone, Chief Operations Officer (COO) for the Breast Health Foundation Louise Turner told those in attendance that their donations and contributions made it possible for their foundation to make a positive impact on the lives of many women. “Your donation will be used to educate South Africans about breast health and breast cancer and to provide emotional and informative support to anyone affected by breast cancer,”explained Turner.

Mad Hatter speaker of the day Professor Carol Benn did things a bit different. She gave a short keynote address about cancer and opened the floor for questions to help debunk myths that people might have heard about breast cancer. In her address she told those in attendance that one’s lifestyle also played a role and also decreased chances of cancer .

She emphasised on the importance of self examination, “You need to know your body, as soon as there is something wrong you will be able to detect and deal with it,” said Prof Benn.

Apart from the minimum entrance fee that was charged, the majority of the funds were made possible by the auction that was run on the day. Renowned TV actress Lillian Dube, a breast cancer survivor, was also in attendance and bought a painting that was on auction.