Breast cancer survivor Keisha Butcher, 40, sent a strong message to victims of the terminal illness, saying it is important to overcome in their spirit and attitude as the only means of choosing to live.
Butcher was speaking at the screening of a documentary based on the journey of the parents of a child with cancer and their use of game design to depict the battle faced with this disease.
The screening was featured by the Animae Caribe Festival in collaboration with the Cancer Society of T&T on Wednesday night. The award-winning director of the documentary is Malika Zouhali-Worrall of New York.
Butcher has been diagnosed with cancer four-and-a-half years now and is doing great, still receiving treatment at the Sangre Grande District Hospital.
Sharing her story to the scores gathered for the screening, Butcher said she was 33 years old when she first discovered a lump in one of her breasts.
After tests were done it was proven that the lump turned out to be a fatty tissue. However, Butcher said right where the scar was, she later discovered another lump but this time took no heed of it as she kept telling herself that it was “just a fatty tissue.”
It turned out to be cancer.
She described dealing with the illness as a “dark place.”
“It’s a dark place when you are dealing with death face-to-face. When there is nobody in that place with you except God. There’s a point where you are disappointed with God and angry with the enemy but then you realise that God is there with you supporting you. Choose to live,” Butcher said.
She urged families to be sensitive towards their loved ones who have been affected with the disease.
Asked how she would describe the healthcare and treatment for cancer patients in T&T, Butcher said: “It’s second to none.
“We have had challenges with the shortage of drugs but it is supposed to be coming to a place where it will be regularised very soon but we are very fortunate here to have free healthcare and we have nurses whose care is second to none. It is amazing what they do at Sangre Grande where I go,” she said.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The documentary—Thank you for Playing—that was aired at the University of T&T, National Performing Arts in Port-of-Spain on Wednesday night follows the parents of a child, Joel Evan Green, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and how they used their programming skills to create a game that deals with the emotions and frustrations of the disease.
In the documentary, Joel’s father, Ryan, said he chose to create the game to cause an impact and cause people to begin talking about the disease.
He said he was shocked when he realised that people, especially in the US, did not want to talk about cancer and death.
The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, where it won the Teddy Award for Best Documentary and the Cinema Fairbindet Prize.