Dili, October 29, 2026 |Média Democracia| – The Alola Foundation brought together breast cancer survivors in a meeting to share experiences, listen to each other’s stories and identify concerns they face during the treatment process and daily life. The meeting was also an opportunity to listen to the needs of survivors and find ways to strengthen support for them.
The coordinator of the Haliku Ha’u Hili Atu Kura program at the Alola Foundation, Pascoela Barreto, said the activity was held as part of the campaign and awareness about breast cancer during October.
He explained that during this month, the Alola Foundation carried out various activities at the national and community levels, including collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), and activities in Ataúru.
“We all know that October is the month of breast cancer. This month, we carry out various activities, including activities at the national level together with MSSI and activities in the community, including in Ataúru,” Pascoela Barreto told reporters at Salaun Haliku, Maskarina, on Wednesday (28/10).
He affirmed that bringing together breast cancer survivors is very important to give them the opportunity to share experiences, express concerns and talk about the difficulties they face during treatment and daily life.
“It is very important to gather these survivors, so that we can share and listen to their experiences, know what problems and concerns they face, so that we can help them,” he said.
Pascoela continued to explain, based on the experience of the Alola Foundation, survivors who have gone through the treatment process can be a source of inspiration and example to other women who have just been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“So, with this activity, we hope that there are many experiences that can be shared. These survivors can become models for women who are currently suffering from breast cancer. That is why we gathered them, to hear their experiences and know what Alola can do to support them,” he said.
He also said some survivors have skills and creativity that can be developed to help them in everyday life. Therefore, the Alola Foundation seeks ways to support creative activities and exercises that can help survivors.
Pascoela said survivors feel happy when they have the opportunity to leave their homes, meet each other, get to know each other better and share experiences.\
“They can share their experiences with other survivors, and our hope is that through this gathering, they can become role models for women in Timor-Leste, especially for those with breast cancer,” she said.
In this meeting, a breast cancer survivor, Idalia Andrade da Silva, from Aileu Municipality, said that she feels happy because the Alola Foundation invited her to participate in this activity and share her experience about the disease she faced.
“I am very happy because the Alola Foundation can invite us to participate in this meeting, to share our experience about diseases, especially breast cancer. I am only 25 years old, but I have this disease,” Idalia Andrade da Silva said.
Idalia explained she started detecting the disease in July 2023. Initially, she did not know that it was breast cancer nor did she understand that it could be life-threatening.
He said that when he told a colleague about his condition, the colleague advised him to go to the hospital for a consultation.
“I went to Bekora hospital to consult a Cuban doctor. The doctor told me that the disease is dangerous and wrote a letter to send me to the Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV),” he explained.
Idalia said, after being referred to HNGV, she underwent examinations, including ultrasound (USG) and blood tests. The results showed that he had a tumor problem and doctors continued to evaluate to determine the nature of the disease.
He said the diagnosis and treatment process is slow, because doctors need to continue to observe his condition. After more than a year, she returned for counseling, and eventually a colleague brought her to the Alola Foundation for support.
According to Idalia, the Alola Foundation accompanied her and helped bring her to medical attention. In July 2025, he was able to undergo surgery.
Another survivor, Alice Moreira Ribeiro, also shared her experience of fighting breast cancer. He said he never thought the disease would affect him, although in 2025 he began to feel and detect an abnormal signal in his body.
He said from March to April 2025, he started feeling sick, and in May he decided to go to DMC for an appointment. At the time, he thought the pain might be caused by another problem.
“I did not expect that this disease would affect me. In 2025, I felt a swelling in my body, but initially did not feel pain. I thought that the problem was not serious, but when the pain began to increase, I decided to go to the consultation,” Alice said.
He continued, after consulting at DMC, health professionals recommended him to have an ultrasound examination at HNGV. From this examination, he was informed that the swelling required medical attention and surgery.
Alice said breast cancer treatment requires a large expense, especially when it comes to surgery and continued chemotherapy. He also submitted a request for support to the Ministry of Health and veterans institutions, but, according to him, he has not received a response at that time.
“After I learned that I had to have surgery, I understood that it would cost a lot of money. We sent a letter to the Ministry of Health and to the veterans, and then we went to the Alola Foundation, but because we didn’t get a response for a long time, we decided to seek treatment at a private clinic,” he said.
Alice said she decided to go to Indonesia to have surgery and continue chemotherapy treatment. According to him, the cost of surgery and treatment together with accommodation for almost four months, reached a huge amount of money.
He referred to the total cost of the treatment process in Indonesia reached more than US $ 30,000, and he also mentioned the operation cost that reached 90 million Indonesian rupiah.
The meeting hopes to strengthen solidarity among breast cancer survivors, increase awareness of the importance of early detection and help identify needs that need attention from relevant institutions.
Reporting: Octaviana da Costa
Photo: Octaviana da Costa