World Cancer Day 2024
World Cancer Day will take place on Sunday 4th Februrary.
World Cancer Day held every 4 February, is the global uniting initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). “While we live in a time of awe-inspiring advancements in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, many of us who seek cancer care hit barriers at every turn. Income, education, geographical location and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and lifestyle are just a few of the factors that can negatively affect care.” “By raising worldwide awareness, improving education and catalysing personal, collective and government action, we are all working together to reimagine a world where millions of preventable cancer deaths are saved and access to life-saving cancer treatment and care is equitable for all - no matter who you are or where you live.” “This year’s World Cancer Day’s theme, Close the Care Gap, is all about raising awareness of this equity gap that affects almost everyone, and is costing lives.” “We will call on leaders to eliminate health inequities by addressing their root causes, ensuring that everyone has access to quality health services when, where and how they need them.” More info here: https://www.worldcancerday.org/about/2022-2024-world-cancer-day-campaign & https://www.worldcancerday.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/WCD2022-Action-Toolkit-English.pdf
A member of our WDP team has shared their experience of how cancer affected them and their family:
“When you are told your child has cancer your world is turned upside down. You are told today, then tomorrow you are in the hospital for over 12 hours being bombarded with information, which you find hard to understand, never mind telling everyone else what is happening.
The hospital is fantastic, the rooms have ensuite facilities. The environment around you is shocking. What the television portrays regarding cancer treatment is very different, especially when being on a children’s ward. You see things which will affect you and potentially scar you for the rest of your life. Cancer affects everyone differently and this is the same for the treatment. Everyone’s outcome is different. Watching the doctors making your child worse to give them the best chance to get better is so hard.
The best advice which I could give is to concentrate on what your own family is going through even though it is hard, but try not to let the environment around you affect you. Making friends with other people who are going through something similar is important as you can share how you feel and offload and the children will often make friends while they are going through treatment. One of the things which sticks in my mind is when I had a phonecall from my partner telling me that they were coming home from hospital. I hadn’t seen them in 2 weeks, I left work, jumped in my car and by the time I was at home they had arrived home but then gone straight back due to the treatment side effects causing high temperature and sickness. I felt my body deflate and the disappointment that they had had to go back.
The charities and celebrities who work with the hospital to give the children opportunities, such as having pizza nights, trips out and making Christmas as magical as they can, gave a bit of hope through such a difficult time.”
Published: 02/02/2024