Breast cancer warrior advocates early detection at carnival road march
Published:Sunday | April 27, 2025 | 2:12 PM
A carnival veteran of over 40 years, Trinidadian Lisa Farrer, also known as 'Carnival Aunty', discovered a lump in her breast just before Miami Carnival in 2022. With no family history of breast cancer, she trusted her instincts and got a mammogram. Spotted holding a 'Early detection saves lives' flag while jumping with carnival band Gen XS on Road March Sunday, Farrer explained "I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2022 when I was supposed to be attending Trinidad Carnival.”
The following year, she focused on her primary treatment, which included chemotherapy and radiation. As of today, there is no evidence of cancer in her chest, and she remains hopeful.
When talking about being a reveller and managing her post-diagnosis, Farrer says “Soca and carnival have kept me[as well as] having a strong mental health”.
Farrer shared that Jamaicans have been very welcoming of her and is encouraging early detections.
“J’ourvet with Gen XS yesterday was a movie. Jamaican people have embraced it. To show a scar like this in the Caribbean, people are not very kind and I decided when I got cancer, I couldn’t find any woman like me to identify with [and] that’s why I’m here. For the young carnival lovers to see the message, to help the conversations in the communities and their families so that hopefully there is early detection”.
Since attending road march, the Trinidadian national rates Jamaica carnival a ten out of ten experience.