February 4 is designated as 2015’s World Cancer Day, which is organized by the Union for International Cancer Control. This day is dedicated to spreading awareness and encouraging actions to effectively prevent, treat, and control the many forms of cancer. This year’s theme, ‘Not beyond us’, is to emphasize that solutions do exist and that these goals can be achieved. Raising awareness on this day creates an opportunity for individuals and communities to move forward and make positive changes.
There are 4 key areas of focus for this year’s campaign:
- Healthy Life Choices – Choosing healthy lifestyle choices can lower risk for cancer. Examples include avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol consumption, eating healthy meals, being active, and staying away from the sun and other sources of UV rays.
- Early Detection – Take time to learn about warning signs and symptoms of many cancers. The value of detecting cancer early is clear and evident.
- Treatment For All – Everyone has the right to access proven and effective cancer treatments and services, without suffering hardship as a consequence.
- Quality Of Life – People with cancer and their caregivers deserve high-quality, compassionate care during treatment and survivorship. In order to achieve this, we need to understand and respond to the full impact of cancer on emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.
This is a global event and many communities around the world will be participating in walks, seminars, and other events to raise awareness and educate people on how to fight cancer. To see how you can help and become a part of this worldwide event, click here. To find events going on today in your area, click on this map.
To learn more about World Cancer Day, go to http://www.worldcancerday.org/about-world-cancer-day-2015.
Or you can also read our last year’s World Cancer Day 2014 blog post here, where the author debunks some of the common myths regarding cancer.
Sources:
http://www.worldcancerday.org/about-world-cancer-day-2015
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/features/world-cancer-day-2015-not-beyond-us
