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Breast Cancer... Breast Cancer... Breast Cancer... Breast Cancer...

Nurse, Now “Cancer Lady,” Saves Lives in Haitian Community

with Support from Susan G. Komen South Florida

Marie Seide knows what it’s like to lose someone to breast can- believed that a miracle was possible.
cer. And she knows what it’s like to survive breast cancer. Seide’s perseverance paid off. Today she is known as “the cancer
She and her mother, Marie Louise Cenatus, were told the dev- lady” in the Haitian community and beyond as word of her ability
astating news that they had the disease just months apart. Sadly, to save lives has spread.
her mother had waited too long to seek care. By the time it was She gives the example of a man who listened to her on a radio
discovered, Cenatus had stage 4 bone marrow cancer and died show. He kept Marie’s contact information “just in case.” Months
less than a year after her diagnosis at age 67. Seide, a nurse by later, his wife joined him from Haiti and soon discovered a mass
training, has been cancer free since 2007. in her breast. Her husband knew just who to call. With funding
The difference between the women’s understanding about from Komen, his wife was able to get a mammogram, screening
breast cancer and how to seek care meant the difference between and treatment and now is a survivor.
life and death. Saving lives by closing the knowledge gap—espe- “Without Komen’s support, there is no way, no way, women
cially in her own Haitian community—has been Seide’s life mis- would be alive today,” said Seide.
sion since her mother passed away in 2006. Komen South Florida’s new executive director, Kate Watt, is
To help those who are uninsured, underserved and under-priv- deeply encouraged by the impact Seide has made. “Grassroots
ileged, Seide founded the Marie Louise Cancer Foundation in organizations that are trusted by the people of their communities
Boynton Beach in her mother’s memory. But it hasn’t been easy to are critical partnerships to help Komen reach its goal to cut the
change the norms of a cultural belief system that relies more breast cancer mortality rate in half by 2026.”
heavily on ministers and neighbors than medical professionals. No matter the prognosis, Seide is a strong believer in the mind,
“Haitian women typically only go to a doctor when they are Marie Seide body, spirit connection in the fight against cancer. “You have to
very sick,” said Seide. “They believe in home treatments, Voodoo think, ‘I’m going to stay alive for me, my family, my community.’”
and recommendations from their pastors.” Seide stops to think for a moment and adds, “You will be down, but you must get
For funding to support breast cancer education, Seide turned to Susan G. Komen up. We can bend, but we can’t let cancer break us.”
South Florida. “We needed to start with culture,” said Seide. “Komen helped us reach
out to churches, assist women in filling out the proper paperwork for mammograms For more information about the Marie Louise Cancer Foundation, visit
and ensure they had the proper follow-up.” Seide even picked up women to take to www.mlcancerfoundation.org, call (561) 752-2122 or email
their appointments, sometimes arguing with family members and pastors who info@mlcancerfoundation.org.

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South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com October 2017 17