Last October, Bahamas Waste unveiled their big pink truck to raise awareness of cancer and during this special unveiling, Melanie Griffin, minister of social services and community development, said, "You cannot fight breast cancer, or any other form of cancer, with ribbons alone, you fight it with a team."
During the unveiling ceremony, Griffin took a selfie with the truck and launched the #BigPinkPics cancer awareness selfie promotion. From October through December 2014, Nassau residents joined the Bahamas Waste team and various cancer groups by taking #BigPinkPics with the colorful big pink garbage truck to help raise awareness of cancer and to advocate cancer screenings and early detection.
"I just want to thank everyone that was involved in the promotion," said Francisco de Cardenas, managing director of Bahamas Waste. "At the end of the day if we encourage just one person to get tested, it was successful."
The big pink garbage truck also displays Bahamas Waste's support of various cancer associations and charities, as well as listing the websites for Komen Bahamas and Ride for Hope. Ride for Hope represents six cancer groups including the Bahamas Cancer Society, the Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative, the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama, the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, the Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group and Ride for Hope.
Bahamas Waste knows cancer personally, as the company's Medical Waste Facility Manager Hartley Strachan is a two-time cancer survivor. The campaign shows that real men wear pink and the entire team at Bahamas Waste hopes that the big pink truck will encourage men to get screened for cancer, as they advocate for the screening and prevent of all cancers.
Griffin noted during the unveiling ceremony that the incidences of non-communicable diseases - breast and cervical cancer in particular - are a source of major concern in The Bahamas and indeed the world. Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in females and was the third-leading cause of deaths in females in 2010.
Moreover, The Bahamas has the highest incidence of inherited breast cancer in the world and the average age of women at the time they are diagnosed with the disease is lower than that of women in the United States.
During the selfie promotion, nine winners were picked, receiving prizes including t-shirts, gift cards, fuel vouchers and free mammograms from supporting sponsors including Bahamas Ferries, FOCOL Sun Oil, John Bull, Starbucks, Caribbean Bottling (Coca-Cola), Micronet, and Fourth Terrace Diagnostics.
The winners included Patrick Terrance Robinson, Samantha Culmer-Kemp, Tonya Ferguson, Ajayi Bodden, Gennie Dean, Dexter Knowles, Christerlina Fox-Francis, Etteloy Etteloy and Bridget Flowers. The final and grand prize winner was Kayette Symmonett d'Albenas, who won an iPad in addition to the various gifts from the supporting sponsors.
Managing Director de Cardenas noted, "If someone got tested and found themselves with the beginning stages of cancer and started treatment, then we are all winners! We will continue spreading the word and will keep the truck out in the public eye as long as it continues to look good. Thanks again to everyone that sent their selfies, we truly are a beautiful country with beautiful people."
To see all of the selfies, visit the Bahamas Waste Facebook page.

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