Cansa raises awareness of cancer on International Cancer Day
JOBURG – According to Cansa CEO, the World Cancer Day focuses on taking a proactive approach to the fight against cancer.
World Cancer Day is on 4 February and because of this, the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) is emphasising that cancer as a disease is ‘not beyond us’ in terms of cancer control and reducing the impact of the disease.
“World Cancer Day is important because the global cancer epidemic is huge and set to rise. Currently, 8.2 million people die from cancer worldwide every year in South Africa, more than 100 000 are diagnosed annually. This day helps us spread the word and raise the profile of cancer,” said Cansa CEO Elize Joubert.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, more than twice as many people die from cancer than from Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
“The World Cancer Day focuses on taking a positive and proactive approach to the fight against cancer regarding solutions about cancer care and early detection and all of these solutions are within reach.”
She added that Cansa will host open days during World Cancer Day at its 30 Cansa Care Centres countrywide.
“For many people facing a cancer diagnosis, it’s the toughest fight of their lives. Maintaining social support networks and talking about cancer is important for both the person living with cancer and their caregiver. So we encourage cancer survivors to join our ‘iSurvivor’ e-online support programme. It’s a free, e-mail based programme written by a cancer survivor to help other survivors cope better. It’s a manageable guide with all the helpful resources available such as health information, where the nearest Cansa Care Centre is, how to lead a balanced lifestyle and how to reduce the risk of recurrence,” concluded Joubert.
