APCOC event brings hope and support
The recently founded NPO, APCOC, held an event on August 28, which was successful.
The Alra Park Can Over Come (APCOC) group held a cancer support event on August 28.
“We held the event to raise funds for our recently founded NPO,” said Jezel Esbend, secretary of the NPO.
“We wanted to host this event in honour of Woman’s Month as well as to enable the community to form part and support the cause.
“Years ago, Sarah Morris and Esme Segeel tried to establish this organisation as a way of helping and providing for those who are affected by cancer or who cannot take care of themselves.
“But various factors led to them hitting a wall, so to speak. A while ago, everything lined up again and they contacted me and Jennifer Kenny, and we could start up the organisation again in June.”
APCOC is an NPO that aims to not only support all cancer patients and their families in the community emotionally but also provide for them where they can’t provide for themselves.
“Small things like taking the cancer patient to get their chemotherapy or just getting their medication can be such a struggle for most families,” Esbend said.
“It can be financially draining for some if not all families and it also takes an emotional toll on both the patient and caregiver.
“Anything we can do to help, from providing money for petrol or taking them to the hospital will be one less thing they worry about.
“That is what we hope. To improve the lives of these families in some small way or another, and we hope that we will be able to walk this path with them and help them fight back and overcome the war that is cancer.”
The event, Her Story, was deemed a huge success and featured various guest speakers who shared their journeys and motivated those who attended the event.
The event focused mainly on women affected by cancer and included a section on doing breast self-examinations, giving women the ability to check themselves and make educated decisions on what to do next if a lump has been discovered.
“Our next step will be getting the community involved and getting sponsorships from local businesses to ensure the success of the group,” Esbend said.
“We plan to meet monthly to provide the necessary support and give members opportunities to talk through their grief with the focus of healing and learning to live through the pain.
“We would also like to thank all our guest speakers, sponsors, our members and our community who participated in the event.”
For more information about the NPO or to get involved, call:
• Sarah Morris on 072 195 9372 (chairperson)
• Esme Segeel on 071 602 3228 (president)
• Jezel Esbend on 078 835 9919 (secretary)
• Jennifer Kenny on 078 309 5277 (treasurer).
