Amy Koester

       Before coming to Grenada, we had discussed in class some of the health hardships that the people there faced. I knew there was a high prevalence of Breast Cancer in Grenadian woman. In class, we had discussed sugary and salty diets and their contribution to the rates of hypertension and diabetes in Grenada, but this information was truly brought to light with every health interaction throughout the entirety of the trip. I had never seen a blood glucose in the 500s before coming to Grenada, nor had I ever taken anyone’s blood pressure with a systolic pressure in the 180s. We soon discovered that hypertension and diabetes are rampant in Grenada and this has a lot to do with noncompliance and a lack of knowledge of disease process. Individuals in Grenada seem to seek healthcare only if they think something is seriously wrong. Speaking with individuals in Grenada and learning about the lack of access to health education, and healthcare in general, was a real “aha” moment, as it explains why Grenada has the rates of chronic hypertension and diabetes that it does. In regard to breast cancer, many of the woman I interacted with had never performed a self-breast exam or had been given a breast exam by a physician. Hearing this from these women really clarified why the breast cancer mortality rate is what it is in Grenada.