The lovely Teniqua de Fonseca, the reigning Miss Portugal SA, is more than just a pretty face – she is actively involved in making the Portuguese community in South Africa aware of breast cancer.
“The overall experience was not what I expected,” she told Buddies for Life during a recent visit to the Breast Clinic at Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg.
“I have always been sceptical about the treatment received at government hospitals. But at Helen Joseph I was further enlightened that patients receive a very high standard of healthcare, including diagnosis, treatment and psychological care.
At Helen Joseph Hospital there are so many caregiver and specialist doctors who give of their own time to such a worthy cause, expecting no recognition, just knowing that they are helping many patients to overcome such difficult time in their lives is enough reward and gratification for them.
The Miss Portugal SA competition has selected the Breast Health Foundation as their charity of choice for 2015.
“My main objective in my role as Miss Portugal South Africa, is to make our community aware of how many people are affected by cancer. The numbers are on the increase. We can educate people on why it is so important to improve the way in which we treat our bodies. We can also make them aware of the early detection signs to look out for so that there is a greater chance of being able to beat this silent killer.”
During her visit, Teniqua was joined by J-Something, lead singer of the popular Johannesburg based House band Mi Casa, and the band’s trumpeter, Mo-T.
“We feel very honoured. Also our eyes were opened so much and we felt really encouraged to helping in what ever way we could. Just glad we got the opportunity to witness the amount of sacrifice the team there puts in. It is humbling,” Mo-T told Buddies for Life.
