Remidios ‘Pilar’ Mazo appears excited like a young child on Christmas morning as she peeks down from the dizzying heights of the 124th observatory deck at Burj Khalifa.

Her contagious smile and encouraging words are a far cry from the sombre words that narrate a bitter six-year battle with breast cancer, which resulted in a mastectomy and the chance of ever bearing a child of her own.

But Pilar, a housemaid from the Philippines who benefitted from the assistance provided by local charity group Friends of Cancer Patients, is not one to count her losses.



“It was in 2006 when I discovered I had cancer. I was working for my madam back then and had complained of soreness in my arm and breast,” she recalled. “After a week of pain, I finally requested a check up with a doctor. It was then they found two cysts in my breast.”

Pilar continued her battle with chemotherapy but finally was forced to undergo a mastectomy when fear of the cancer spreading left the now 53-year-old with no alternative.

“Today, I am cancer-free and working as a nanny with a kind gentlemen who flies with Singapore Airlines,” she said. “My husband is also in Dubai and continues to be my support system.

“But frankly, none of this would have been possible had it not been for the financial assistance that was given to me by Friends of Cancer Patients.”



Pilar’s situation is not an uncommon one in the UAE, where cancer continues to be prevalent, while awareness limited and the financial burden too heavy for many to endure.

Dr Sawsan A S Al Madhi, Secretary General of the charity group, spoke of the challenges that continue to face them.

“We have been a grassroots organisation here for the past 14 years, having assisted over 900 patients in this tenure,” she said. “One thing that stands out even today, though, is the lack of awareness in detecting cancer at an early stage, the types of cancers and the medical options that are open to patients.”

She continued: “As a charitable organisation, our focus is to provide a level of assistance to our patients that goes beyond the obvious of financial and social. Patient programmes such as a visit to At the Top at Burj Khalifa, one of the few that we conduct every couple of months, are necessary to keep up the positive spirits of our patients and provide them with a healthier environment than what they must be used to.”

Yesterday’s event saw 52 members and supporters of the group who visited Burj Khalifa, with families and friends, as young as seven years old, coming out to lend a supporting shoulder for the cause.

Friends of Cancer Patients also conducts monthly campaigns to create awareness of certain types of cancers, with Lize De Jonge, a Programs and Research Manager with the charity, saying: “September will be a month dedicated to childhood cancers, while October is naturally breast cancer awareness month, which will feature the Pink Caravan. November will be Movember, for prostate cancer.”

De Jonge said that amongst women in the UAE, breast cancer continued to remain the number one killer, while prostate cancer plagued men.

When quizzed over the biggest challenges cancer patients face here, De Jonge said: “Subsidised medical care is not available, which places immense pressure on patients and families. There is no safety net and things can get very tough in the long run.”