In a unique fundraising effort, the SMB Care Foundation will host the SMB Flicks fundraiser, during which guests will enjoy a one-of-a-kind night at the cinema featuring one short film and one feature film chosen by award-winning filmmaker Kareem Mortimer at The Cinema at The Island House.
Proceeds raised from SMB Flicks go toward the non-profit foundation's work, which is to spread the awareness for colon cancer, treatment and preventative measures; and assist with funding treatment for people with colon cancer, according to Corey Bruney who started the foundation in memory of his mother, Dr. Sharon Maralyn Bascom-Bruney, who succumbed to colon cancer at the age of 59.
Corey started the foundation with his father, Dr. George Bruney and his siblings Kelly and Camron, to bring awareness to the disease that can be treated if caught early enough.
"Our primary assistance is to assist in eliminating cancer in The Bahamas through providing financial assistance to those people who are plagued by cancer, and helping to enhance their quality of life. We will also be engaging in health promotion, encouraging healthy lifestyles and providing information on primary prevention strategies to the Bahamian community," said Corey.
SMB Flicks will cater to approximately 70 people, in the intimate theater, with tickets offered at $75 each, including theater treats -- gourmet popcorn, fruit and cheese platters and wine offered by chef Gerald Rolle. The films to be shown on Tuesday, July 21, have not yet been decided.
"Because the event is something so different from what is usually seen, I think it's going to generate a lot of attention, and that will allow it to be successful," said Corey. "Because it's so small, I don't think selling the number of tickets will be too big of an issue."
The SMB Foundation was launched in November 2014, at an event dubbed "Shades of Blue"; the upcoming SMB Flicks will be just the second fundraising event the Foundation has hosted.
"The last couple months has been more planning for the next year plus in terms of fundraising, and we have a number of events including this one throughout the year that's going to be going on to help with growing and eventually to get us to do what we intend to do -- bringing awareness of the disease through informational booklets that we plan to distribute and people can pick up and read, and provide free colonoscopies," said Corey. "We want people to know that colon cancer is something that is very dangerous, but preventable."
According to Corey the foundation is currently going through a selection process to see who they would be able to help, and are looking to select up to three people to assist in the short term.
"From quotes I've gotten, a colonoscopy is in the vicinity of $2,500 and that's not inclusive of VAT, so we're going through a selection process to determine a person who really needs it," he said.
Through the heartache of having lost the family matriarch, the Bruney family launched the foundation to spread awareness of colon cancer, treatment and preventative measures, and to assist with funding treatment for people with colon cancer.
Of cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and rectum) is the second-leading cancer killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. But, according to the CDC, it does not have to be, as screening can find precancerous polyps (abnormal growths in the colon or rectum) so they can be removed before turning into cancer. Screening also helps find colorectal cancer at an early stage when treatment often leads to a cure. According to medical guidelines, persons 50 years or older should be screened. But persons who may be at a higher risk for colorectal cancer should be screened early.
Unfortunately for Corey's mom, who followed the guidelines and received her first screening after she attained her 50th birthday, the screening was a little too late. She was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer at age 51. She battled the disease for seven-and-a-half years, before succumbing to it mere days after her 59th birthday in September 2013.
Having lived through his mother's suffering, Corey said he and the members of his family understand how difficult it is to live with the disease -- on people's physical health, emotional, mental, and spiritual health -- as well as the financial burden, and that he and his family want people who are suffering to know that they are not alone in their fight. He said they have first-hand understanding of how relieving it is to have extra support in all aspects of suffering.
Symptoms and risk factors of colon cancer
Symptoms and risk factors of colon cancer include: A change in bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of stool; rectal bleeding or blood in stool; persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas or pain; a feeling that your bowel doesn't empty completely; weakness or fatigue and unexplained weight loss.
But many people with colon cancer experience no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. When symptoms appear, they will likely vary, depending on the cancer's size and location in the large intestine.
And in most cases, it's not clear what causes colon cancer. Doctors only know that colon cancer occurs when healthy cells in the colon become altered.
Risk factors
Risk factors for colon cancer include age (the majority of people diagnosed with colon cancer are older than 50); being of African descent; a personal history of colorectal cancer or polyps ; inflammatory intestinal conditions (such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease); inherited illnesses (such as familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer); family history of colon cancer and colon polyps; low-fiber, high-fat diet; a sedentary lifestyle; diabetes; obesity; smoking; heavy alcohol use and radiation therapy directed at the abdomen to treat previous cancers may increase the risk of colon cancer.
Tests and diagnosis
If signs and symptoms indicate colon cancer, doctors may recommend one or more tests and procedures, including using a scope to examine the inside of the colon. A colonoscopy uses a long, flexible and slender tube attached to a video camera and monitor to view the entire colon and rectum. If any suspicious areas are found, the doctor can pass surgical tools through the tube to take tissue samples (biopsies) for analysis. They can use multiple CT images to create a picture of the colon. CT colonography, also called "virtual colonoscopy", combines multiple CT scan images to create a detailed picture of the inside of the colon. If a person is unable to undergo colonoscopy, a doctor may recommend virtual colonoscopy.
Staging colon cancer
Once a person has been diagnosed with colon cancer, a doctor will order tests to determine the stage of the cancer, which helps determine what treatments are most appropriate.
The stages of colon cancer are stage one, during which the cancer has grown through the superficial lining of the colon or rectum but hasn't spread beyond the colon wall or rectum; stage two, during which the cancer has grown into or though the wall of the colon or rectum but hasn't spread to nearby lymph nodes; stage three, in which the cancer has invaded nearby lymph nodes but isn't affecting other parts of the body yet; and stage four, in which the cancer has spread to distant sites.
Treatment options
The type of treatment a doctor recommends will depend largely on the stage of the cancer, but the three primary treatment options are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
In early-stage colon cancer, if the cancer is small, localized in a polyp, the doctor may remove it completely during a colonoscopy. Larger polyps may be removed using endoscopic mucosal resection. And, if a pathologist determines that the cancer was completely removed, there may be no need for additional treatment.
If colon cancer has grown into or through the colon, the surgeon may recommend a partial colectomy to remove the part of the colon that contains the cancer, along with margin of normal tissue on either side of the cancer.
For advanced cancer, or if a person's overall health is poor, a surgeon may recommend an operation to relieve a blockage of the colon or other conditions to improve symptoms. The surgery isn't done to cure cancer, but to relieve signs and symptoms such as bleeding and pain. In specific cases where the cancer has spread to the liver and if a person's overall health is otherwise good, the doctor may recommend surgery to remove the cancerous lesion from the liver. Chemotherapy may be used before or after this type of surgery.
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