PAMEMMAZI, LET’S DEAL WITH CANCER DIFFERENTLY

The organization or the 9^th Race for the Cure last Sunday that attracted 36,000 people, reminded us loudly that prevention and timely diagnosis of breast cancer (and other types) save lives. But in dealing with any type of cancer, a key factor is the psychology of the patient, which has a critical role on how the patient responds to treatment. This critical factor is of paramount attention for PAMEMMAZI, (www.pamemmazi.org), a nonprofit organization established in 2017 to keep alive the dream of Emma Vernikou, a 24-year-old young woman who left us last year from a rare type of cancer, without ever loosing her strength and optimism not even for a moment, and who became known through her blog www.scarsandscarves.com.

The mission of PAMEMMAZI, as Emma envisioned and designed (which is named after her—pamEMMAzi), is to organize spaces in hospitals that are friendly, pleasant, furnished comfortably, where patients and those who accompany them can spend some time creatively engaged in crafts, drawing, knitting, yoga, dramatherapy, dance, movies and others activities that contribute to improving participants’ mood and disposition. The first such space will open in the General Oncology Hospital “Agioi Anargyroi” in Kifisia, while other hospitals have also expressed interest.

On October 20-21, PAMEMMAZI is also organizing its first two-day forum with the topic, “Psychosomatic care in cancer: Empathy, understanding and communication” which will take place at the American College of Greece at Agia Paraskevi.