Access to information and knowledge was the driving force behind starting the Charity in 2004. “We have only come so far due to the belief from the community- this is what drives the team to think of innovative and collaborative projects that gives access everyone in the Kingdom. Our accessibility, transparency and approach has broken down many of the local taboos and started a discourse in relation to breast cancer. Our achievements and accolades are due to the community support” notes the Founder, Dr Julie Sprakel.

The core principle of Think Pink Bahrain’s philosophy is education. Education is the first step to prevention. When we educate our mothers, daughters, sisters, and nieces, we can help them make informed decisions, which may ultimately save their lives. Our ongoing investment in education will enable the people of Bahrain to receive and have access to the best health care professions with a holistic approach to breast cancer treatment.

The Charity believes in sponsorship of Nationals within the healthcare sector, with the belief that with internationally endorsed qualifications, they return to the Kingdom to better support our community. We always listen to what we hear at grass roots levels from clinicians, patients, families and advocates. We go away and look at research and find gaps in literature or services. For example- there was no specific lymphodeomea therapist within Bahrain back in 2010 and we set about finding the most comprehensive course, Klose Clinic in Germany- funds were directed towards fully funding- flights, accommodation, transport and the course. Today we have 12 therapist sponsored by the charity and they visit 3 major hospitals, namely, Salymania Medical Complex (SMC), King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) and the Bahrain Royal Medical Services (BDF).

In parallel to this, was the fully funded two-year Master Programme at the Royal College of Surgeons- Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain). A MSc level wasn’t offered to nurses in the Middle East and RCSI Bahrain was the first institution to offer such a course. To date this gap has been filled with a total of five Bahraini national nurses graduating with a postgraduate degree that specialised in breast cancer- part of the sponsorship was to ensure their research thesis was breast cancer centered, which then better supports their breast cancer patients and families and the respective hospitals that they work in.

We have also sponsored the full multidisciplinary team within the breast cancer journey, to attend conferences and present or publish their work