Awareness about cancer diseases is key to successfully fighting them, and I feel happy when I find out that awareness campaigns are not only growing, but also gaining the support of the health and social affairs ministries and other private and public entities, as well.
Such awareness campaigns, particularly ones that shed light on chronic diseases, lead to saving lives. This reflects the humanitarianism that Kuwait’s people and their leaders are famous for. It’s well known that awareness keeps diseases away. It also facilitates early detection of cancerous diseases. This means that by raising awareness, we can save over one third of cases.
According to the latest statistics of Kuwait Cancer Control Center, there are 2,995 cases of cancer in Kuwait, with 1,653 Kuwaitis and 1,342 non-Kuwaitis. With awareness campaigns and early detection, these patients are spared either illness in the first place or complications from the disease and increase their recovery rate if they are afflicted with it. In October, the month of breast cancer awareness, the Cancer Aware Nation Campaign of the Kuwait Society for Smoking and Cancer Control is carried out every year.
Over 13 years, the campaign has reached tens of thousands of women. Tens, rather hundreds, were cured due to early discovery of the disease. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and the number of cases in 2019 only reached 631 cases, 359 in Kuwaiti women and 272 cases in non-Kuwaitis.
The numbers heighten our responsibility of continuing the awareness programs and urging early detection of cancer, which has high recovery rates that may reach 85 percent. A woman who recovers from breast cancer can return to practicing her normal daily life, with the grace of Allah, and thanks to a message she may have seen through media, a brochure explaining self-examination, a training course on early detection she may have joined, or a lecture given by specialists or recovered women she may have attended.
She may have been alerted to get a checkup after calling a consultations line designated for questions, or attending a sports activity by recovered women, or participating in a competition that urges weight loss, or volunteering to visit cancer patients. Saving lives is the most noble act anyone can do, so we thank all those who seek to save someone by volunteer their time and support and extending cooperation in the field of their experience. Almighty Allah said: "And whoever saves one, it is as though he had saved all mankind.” (5:32).
kuwaittimes.com