Committee Member

A seasoned healthcare professional, Betty Lee currently works as the only Breast Cancer Awareness advisor (in Malta).

“I have ample experience as a lab technician and worked as a Cardiac and Pulmonary Technician at Mater Misericordie Hospital in Dublin with a Chest Consultant for many years before coming to Malta many years ago. However, it was my mastectomy in 2005 that made me aware of the dire situation with regards to breast care and awareness in Malta having been discharged from a private hospital with not as much as a contact or tel number of any one associated with breast cancer.

Having had breast cancer has changed my life for the better and realize now how lucky I am to have the health and the opportunities to make life easier for those going through breast cancer.

I also have one daughter and I worry that she too will get breast cancer as there is a very strong family history but she too is very breast aware and knows that having breast cancer is not a death sentence. I remember when she told me she was pregnant, (which as a month after my mastectomy) I was delighted and then I got this dreadful feeling that if she had a girl I would have passed on the breast cancer gene and I prayed and prayed she would have a boy. Yes she had Casper my adorable blonde blue eyed grandson. At the time I had nightmares of her having a girl but now if she told me she was pregnant again with a girl I would be very happy. Psychologically it was an extremely bad time for me during her pregnancy but thankfully I got over it.
This motivated me to set up an Awareness Centre at St Philips Hospital before it closed its doors. I still want to try and set up a one stop information centre for everyone going through what I did, to just be able to get information as I still feel it is badly needed. Even talking to someone who has gone through the same helps so much. I have always given my tel number to those who have asked me for it so that they do not feel alone. I also feel partners and families are forgotten about when the lady is diagnosed and I want.

I trained as a prosthesis fitter in Germany in 2005 after an article I wrote for Pink Magazine was published together with a photo of me exposing my scars for all to see and was contacted by a prosthesis company who offered me this opportunity.
I also have spent two years on a regular tv program promoting health issues including breast awareness and all topics relating to it.
I have had a program Nies Ta Veru dedicated to me when I first wanted to highlight breast awareness in 2005.

In 2010 I had Arani Issa dedicated to me too when I had reconstruction plus a subcutaneous mastectomy with reconstruction. (A subcutaneous mastectomy is when the breast tissue is removed and an implant put it).
All this was done compliments of St James Hospital and Mr Francis Darmanin and also to Dr.Joseph Chetcuti and his program Arani Issa
I have worked with the Elderly now for 11 years but my main interest is promoting breast awareness and will do that in every way I can whether on TV, or writing articles of which I have had many published in the Times of Malta”.