Interview with Madam Carrie Cannon

 Project 20 interviews  
 
     «Professionals speak about their daily work and their missions»

Interview with Madam Carrie Cannon, President of the Think Pink Luxembourg Association. 

Think Pink Luxembourg is a non-profit organization, that was started in 2009 by a small group of volunteers. They aimed to support women whose lives had been touched by cancer, either directly or through their families and friends. Above all, they wanted to raise awareness in Luxembourg in the English-speaking community, because they thought there wasn’t enough information on how to prevent and how to understand the importance of early prevention.

There is going to be a big fund-raising event, called „Race for the Cure” on 23rd October. Think Pink Luxembourg will be working with Think Pink Europe for this non-competitive run, that aims to show solidarity and raise awareness. This joint project will help to raise funds for other countries which need more financial support.

Carrie Cannon from the non-profit organization is a health professional, a nurse, who had been working at the ISL, International School, and is now active in public health.

Carrie tells us that Think Pink Luxembourg (TPL) started in October 2009, because an American woman, who had suffered from cancer, wanted to give support to women also touched by cancer in the English-speaking community. So as the result they launched the ladies’ night event.

Indeed, the first edition was a success, and they decided to donate the money to Europa Donna Luxembourg to produce all the information in English.

Ladies’ night became a real success story, and Think Pink Luxembourg was created. Initially they started helping people touched by breast cancer, but they also support people with other types of cancer.

The five volunteers have already done an amazing amount of work in Luxembourg.

Think Pink Luxemboug wants to celebrate life, honor those who have lost theirs, and to help people suffering from cancer.

Of course, not only women get breast cancer, but 1% of men can also be touched.

Carrie explains that often a person who is personally touched, or knows a colleague who has cancer, contacts TP. Then Carrie organizes an information session within the company to give basic information about cancer and about how to help a colleague suffering from it. She helps people to respond in a right way towards a colleague coming back to work following cancer treatment. It is extremely important for the colleagues in the workplace to know that for a person, who has had a cancer, it is never over. The person could have side effects, may be tired, may be frightened, and sometimes the colleagues may wonder about her/his reactions. Therefore, it is important to inform colleagues at their workplace by giving a talk at lunchtime. 

Think Pink Luxembourg also supports research at the Luxembourg Institute of Research by Dr Clément Thomas and the Cytoskeleton and Cancer Progression (CCP) research group, which explores the role of the actin cytoskeleton of tumor cells in two processes that critically promote cancer progression: metastatic spreading and resistance to the immune system, with the ultimate goal of sharing its discoveries in clinical applications that benefit patients. 

Cancer immune evasion is a major obstacle to effective anticancer immunotherapies, and a better understanding of the underlying mechanism is urgently needed. 

Think Pink Luxembourg produced a guide called »Living in Luxembourg with Cancer », updated in 2017, which is distributed free of charge. It helps answer all the practical questions such as about medical insurance, social services, how to talk to children about cancer. It also helps formulate questions to ask at the doctors, and makes suggestions through shared stories, testimonies and personal experience, but above all provides help to families.

Carrie’s personal message: 

 “As a nurse I want people to understand their own bodies, to understand how They can look after themselves. By knowing our own body, we are able to notice any changes. Everybody is different, everyone’s breasts are different.

We have to know what is normal, before we can know what is abnormal.

We need to teach people from an early age to check their breasts, to look, touch and to be able to feel what is normal.

If you have any suspicions, go to the doctor immediately, and check. 

We try to allay some of the fears and taboos about our bodies when we talk with people about cancer. 

On the support side we want people to know they are not alone, that we are there to help, and support them as we can, and when needed.”

Carrie, thank you so much for your commitment, and your personal dedication

The interview was conducted by Ms. Françoise Hetto-Gaasch, member of the committee of Europa Donna Luxembourg.

Europa Donna Luxembourg Asbl

1b rue Thomas Edison L-1445 Strassen

Tél. : 621 47 83 94 

E-mail : europadonna@pt.lu  

www.europadonna.lu