RBTT and its parent company, RBC, have gone a step further with plans to establish a cancer fund to help children throughout the Caribbean.

Last month, RBTT Financial Group CEO, Suresh Sookoo, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with chairman of the Cancer Treatment Foundation in Trinidad and Tobago, Brian Lara, committing TT$6 million to paediatric cancer care over the next five years.

The RBC/RBTT Caribbean Children's Cancer Fund, together with the Foundation, will assist young persons under the age of 16 who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Brian Lara said that he is "heartened by RBTT's commitment to the Foundation". Lara will receive the first TT$1.2 million contribution in May when RBC officially opens its new Caribbean head office, St. Clair Place.

Lara said that the fund "will play a momentous role in our efforts to provide medical treatment to young patients diagnosed with this debilitating disease".

RBTT will make annual contributions of TT$1.2 million totalling TT$6 million to the Foundation for a period of five years. Additionally, RBC and RBTT employees across the region will seek to raise additional funds in support of children's cancer treatment.

Devastating experiences

"RBTT recognises the diagnosis of cancer in a child as one of the most devastating experiences for families," said Sookoo. "While research indicates that the survival rate in common childhood cancers such as brain tumors and leukaemia is good, the emotional and financial burden placed on the family is tremendous. It is also imperative that a child receive prompt and specific treatment, which can be complex and costly." Added Sookoo: "I am hear-tened by our employees' eagerness to play a role in helping our region's children receive the proper care. If we can give hope to children afflicted with this dreadful disease, we can make a difference for the future of so many young people."