Making a difference by being Positively Pink

MILLIONS of people around the world and thousands on the Costa have been touched by the blight of cancer.

People run a one in three chance that their lives will be touched by the feared disease.

Whether they have fought – and many have won- the disease themselves or a much loved family member or close friend has had to deal with it.

Once touched by the disease life is never the same for people involved, but often in a very positive way.

One thing that happens to many people who have had cancer darken their lives, but who come out the other side, is an urge to help.

To help show a light and give hope to cancer stricken patients.

To support people and their families through some of the darkest days of their lives.

And to help prevent people developing the disease, or at least catch it early enough for effective treatment.

Of course not everyone can be saved from the terrible disease, but much can be done.

And much is being done by ordinary people whose lives have been touched. Or at least they may view themselves as ordinary, but they do extraordinary things to help.

The Costa’s  Positively Pink charity is one of those extraordinary things.

It is offering huge amounts of help and support, first to women, but now to men as well in the fight against cancer.

It is drawing support from the expat community – once again showing the generosity of spirit of the people on the Costa.

This year it is holding its annual Charity Ball at El Oceano Beach Hotel, La Cala de Mijas on October 10, sponsored by the Euro Weekly News.

Positively Pink is a charity dedicated to helping women suffering from breast cancer through all the stages from screening to test results and aftercare. And it has set up Positively Blue to help men with prostate cancer in a similar way.

The charity host many events in order to raise money and help those suffering from cancer. These have included sky diving, Go karting, auctions and much more, but the biggest event of the year without a doubt it the Positively Pink Charity Ball.

And many of the legion of volunteers who help – not one takes a penny from the charity- have their own personal cancer story to tell.

El Oceano owner Lorraine Palmer, set up the Positively Pink charity after she had a cancer scare of her own. She said: “I was tested for breast cancer after finding I had crystals around the nipples on my breasts.

“ I’ll never forget how scared I was waiting for the results to come through.

“I was very lucky and got the all clear. But at the time I thought God if I get the all clear I want to be able to help women as best as I can.”

“ There were women thereon the day of the results that were diagnosed with cancer and I was just one of the lucky ones at that moment in time.”

“So many women suffer, everyone knows someone that has had it and the reality of it all.”

The Positively Pink Charity Ball promises to be a fun and entertaining evening , without forgetting the seriousness of the work they do.

The event is the perfect opportunity to dress up and feel good as all proceeds go to charity. The night includes a three course meal and will showcase live music from Mike Stirling, who played the West End’s Phantom of the Opera. Also featured will be widely popular Tenor, Steven Lloyd Morgan.

The charity was set seven years ago by likeminded caring and passionate people who had been touched in some way by cancer, be it personal, family or friends.

The charity goes to extraordinary lengths to help women in need. Suzanne Couling, who became heavily involved after her own successful battle against cancer explained: “We have a translation service to help women understand the results from the screening and any treatment process, we stay in touch throughout the process and even afterwards. We do what we can to help women going through a really tough time, even the small things like providing a series of wigs to women undergoing chemotherapy or just being someone to talk to.”

The auctioneer for the event is radio presenter and larger than life character says, “the more money we can raise for the charity at auction the more people we can help.” Previous prizes for the event have included a weekend stay in a hotel, a meal for two at a top restaurant and ownership of a racehorse for a year.

If you would like to donate to Positively Pink or give a raffle prize you can do so by joining a sky dive on September 21, by donating items for the raffle or auction, attending events hosted by the charity or simply making a cash donation.

For more information please visit the website www.positively-pink.com or find Positively Pink on Facebook.

Donation details:

CCC: 0049 5792 17 2516030161

IBAN en format electronic: ES7800495792172516030161

IBAN en format papel: IBAN ES78 0049 5792 1725 1603 0161