“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way…she adjusted her sails.”—Author Elizabeth Edwards.
Acknowledging the power that cancer has to rip apart families and take the life of loved ones, the Ganess family snapped into action to destroy the deadly threat which had already taken root in their matriarch.
Celebrating the success of her mother overcoming one of the rarest forms of cancer—gall bladder cancer—Renuka Sagewan-Ganess and her daughter Varsha were struck by the survivor stories told by Guardian Media Limited during October to highlight cancer awareness.
While they looked at the well-executed television pieces and detailed articles, the two recalled wondering, “We have been hearing the stories of all these wonderful women who survived but do they know each other? Do they know each other’s story and journey?”
The family decided to open their family-owned business—Vay Berri On The Greens, Trincity—to treat ten women and their loved ones to a special cancer survivor luncheon. Varsha Ganess said, “We wanted to give back a little to the community and let these persons just feel the love.”
Overcome with emotions as she addressed the packed dining room, Sagewan-Ganess said cancer was not a respecter of gender, creed, race, religious persuasion, or whether one was rich or poor.
She said, “It sneaks up on us and just appears.”
Wading into the medical strides that had been made in cancer research and treatment over the past 20 years, Sagewan-Ganess said people do not have to ask how long again but rather, what can we do to treat this.
Tearing up as she recounted the feelings she experienced when her mother was diagnosed, she claimed to have been humbled by the fight and hunger many of these people had to continue living.
Opened for the past seven years and previously operating under the name of Muscavado Restaurant, Ganess said, “We had no restaurant experience but we love good food, great ambience and we love great service so essentially, that is what we aimed to achieve.”
Resident vocalist Jerome Bissessar serenaded the diners as they sipped on a variety of wines supplied by Alstons Marketing Company Limited (AMCO) and other beverages supplied by Coca-Cola.
Medical Health Counsellor, Cancer Society of T&T, Stephanie Sabga elaborated about her role to help people diagnosed with cancer as well as their families.
Revealing her family had also been affected by cancer, Sabga urged those present to reach out and connect with them for help through this life-altering journey.