Tom Ewart Smith
WALK Against Cancer Mallorca, spearheaded by Anita Vince, a 53-year-old English woman who has lived on the island for nearly two decades, is back for a third year running.
The initiative encourages people to stay active, while raising funds for the Cancer Support Group Mallorca (CSG), of which Anita is a committee member.
Founded in 2011 by Krista Hyer – who sadly passed away in 2022 – CSG provides vital support to cancer patients and those affected by it.
After Anita was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, she reached out to the charity.
While she was a patient under the association’s care, Krista persuaded Anita to involve herself with the committee’s work.
A decade later, Anita is at the forefront of an initiative called ‘Walk Against Cancer Mallorca’, which is entering its third year.
The seeds were sown for the fundraiser over 10 years ago.
Since 2014, Anita and fellow volunteers and friends have embarked on the GR221 hiking trail, which stretches over 150 kilometres from Port d’Andratx to Pollenca.
This yearly fundraiser gave inspiration for the larger Walk Against Cancer Mallorca.
Before its formation, Anita struggled to involve all of her friends and family in the GR221 hike; due to logistical reasons, such as booking accommodation in advance, and not being able to assure people that they could join.
“We were asking for donations from the same people all the time”, Anita exclaims, putting the volunteers in an awkward situation.
As a result, she expanded the initiative into a wider web of people who have been affected by cancer.
Walk Against Cancer takes place throughout the month of April.
This year, the launch date is March 29, when people sign up by setting fitness goals for the following month, and they will hopefully receive donations for their efforts.
There is also a sign up fee of €10 per person which will support funds.
At the same time, Anita and five others will complete their annual walk, while friends, family, and CSG members will join them at certain points.
This year, the challenge transpires from April 16-22, and Anita confirmed that they will be tackling the trickier GR222 route.
According to her, there is less refuge on this route than the GR221, and this year they will have to carry bigger backpacks.
Walk Against Cancer concludes on May 3 with a big party, including a raffle and other fundraising activities.
Anita says that ever since her decision to commit to CSG work she has ‘never been able to stop’, and after the death of Krista, the 53-year-old has viewed Walk Against Cancer as a way of ‘carrying on her work’.
Anita believes that this year will be a watershed edition, due to the wider network of participants, as opposed to a focus on those close to her.
She highlights the importance of money raised for the charity and that ‘you cannot do all these things for people without money behind you’; Walk Against Cancer raised €16,000 last year.
While funds are paramount, Anita wants to make sure ‘people are aware of the services’ and to highlight the English support on the island.
When asked about CSG’s focus on English-speakers, Anita indicated that the organization’s services are not exclusively for English people and anyone is welcome to reach out to the association.
CSG’s spotlight on foreigners came about due to a pre-existing network of Spanish cancer support charities, in which Spain’s foreign community may have lacked confidence to reach out and been intimidated by the language and cultural barrier.
As Anita said, “if you do not really understand what people are saying to you, then that can intensify a difficult situation”.
While that was Krista’s initial focus, Anita decided to channel her efforts into fitness.
The campaigner believes that it leads to healthier and happier lives, and that it contributes to better mental health, alongside the physical gains.
Anita also highlights the ‘whole camaraderie’ of her walk and the importance of ‘getting friends together’ in the face of a challenge such as cancer.
The money raised by the event will be used for resources such as translations, transport to hospitals, home visits by volunteers, practical assistance, and counseling and wellbeing services.
In 2024, CSG supported 64 patients actively involved in their services, including 26 new members.
Although many of those involved are female, the association does also support male patients.
Through work with another organisation called The Gap Counselling, CSG has raised greater awareness amongst men.
“Men can often put their heads in the sand”, Anita believes, when it comes to receiving a cancer diagnosis.
She suggests that some can ignore the issue, despite its severity, which can prove to be fatal.
Anita says that dealing with cancer is ‘all about prevention’ and stopping it before it spreads, so increasing awareness is key.
The campaigner also believes that Spanish medical care is more effective than the NHS, pointing out the ‘horror stories’ that she has heard about waiting lists to use the UK’s public service.
