Pinky stays positive despite stage 4 cancer fight

On Wednesday, dancehall socialite Pinky celebrated her 59th birthday and she was super grateful to see the milestone.

Pinky, who is the sister of Dancehall Queen Carlene, is putting up a rigorous and brave fight against stage 4 breast cancer and says her strength relies heavily on the support of her family, friends and well wishers.

"It's good when you have family and friends around you to support you. That help build up yuh hopes high," she said. Persons from the entertainment fraternity including Lena British, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Sizzla Kalonji and Winston 'Wee Pow' Powell, from Stone Love, have helped to raise funds for Pinky, who said she is extremely appreciative.

Cancer of the breast is the most common cancer among Jamaican women. A lump on the breast is usually the first sign when an individual checks their body. But regular screening for breast cancer is recommended starting at age 40.

Like Carlene, Pinky is a vivacious being and is the life of the party. However, in 2020, a doctor's visit and medical tests provided unwelcome news.

"Nothing was wrong with me, I just went for a regular check-up like I usually did. They called me afterwards to tell me that they saw something," she said.

She told THE WEEKEND STAR that doctors were somewhat confident that radiation and chemotherapy sessions would be enough to beat the disease. She said doctors also believed that a mastectomy (surgery to remove all breast tissue from a breast as a way to treat or prevent breast cancer) would not be necessary. But the treatments failed and the cancer became more aggressive. In January 2022, a follow-up visit to the doctor revealed that the cancer had spread to other sections of her body.

"The treatment do me very bad. I was so weak and if it wasn't for God, my family and friends, I would not have been here today. I went through all of the chemotherapy and radiation and it still never work. My weight dropped to 93 pounds during those treatments. The treatment made me more sick than the cancer did. I am stage 4 cancer now, so I am here doing some other type of medicine because the treatment in New York didn't work for me," she said.

Pinky said she is now using holistic treatments which are working. She, however, stated that it is extremely expensive and is not a quick fix.

Persons wishing to assist can donate to https://realhelpinghands.com/campaign/dhq-carlene-smith-hosting-fundrais...