AIRTEL sponsors 2015 Cancer Marathon
Leading GSM operator in the country, Airtel, is supporting the Thinking Pink Breast Foundation to organize the Freetown Mini Marathon 2015.
Addressing a news conference held on Friday, October 23 this year at Airtel’s Head Office at Hill Station in Freetown, the Chief Executive Officer of Thinking Pink Breast Cancer Foundation, Mrs. Cremelda P. Pratt, said the month of October is always observed for cancer awareness campaign.
She noted that cancer which is non communicable disease is a silent killer, adding that she is glad that Airtel has come onboard to support this year’s marathon.
She disclosed that this year’s marathon has been slated for October 31 and will start from the Cotton Tree to Family Kingdom along Lumley Beach.
She maintained that the event is geared towards raising funds, awareness and to promote physical fitness.
She lamented that women affected by breast cancer continue to die because they ignore the signs and symptoms, and therefore urged them to immediately seek medical attention as soon as they notice lumps on their breasts.
She disclosed that T-shirts for the marathon are out for sale at their Percival Street office and Airtel shop on Rawdon Street for forty thousand Leones (Le 40,000.00) as she urged members of the public to partake at the event.
In her remarks, the Deputy Minister of Health, Madam Madina Rahman, said the event is not a happy one for her because she knows too much about breast cancer which she said also affects men.
She said early detection is crucial to successful treatment and urged especially women to be doing a monthly self breast examination to know their status.
She revealed that some of the causes of breast cancer include overweight, lack of exercise, the use of contraceptives by girls and family cancer history.
She explained that some of its signs include inverted nipples and discharge from the breasts.
Madam Rahman noted that even though the facilities to diagnose breast cancer are not available in the country, the Government is striving very hard to make them available.
Brigadier Kestoria Kabia, in her remarks, noted that breast cancer can affect any woman at anytime and that id it is not detected early it can kill.
She thanked Thinking Pink Breast Cancer Foundation and Airtel for the planned awareness raising marathon.
She also urged them not to make the event a one off one, but to continue with the sensitization throughout the year and teach women how to do self breast checks and how to prevent getting the disease.
In his statement, the Acting Managing Director of Airtel, Mr. Sarjeet Kumar, noted that cancer is a silent killer because a lot of people do not know about it.
He said because women are the strongest pillars in society that is why Airtel is always supportive of anything that has to do with them.
He further stated that now that the Ebola is almost behind us, we should be focusing on other diseases like cancer.
He urged the media to spread the awareness about breast cancer.
The Head of Corporate Affairs, Airtel, Madam June Rose Johnson, told the gathering that the theme for this marathon is: “An Emerging World without Cancer.”
She disclosed that on the day of the marathon there would be free breast screening at the Family Kingdom at Aberdeen.
A cancer Survivor, Madam Ejatu Tejan with cell phone number, 076-883223, appealed for financial help to continue her treatment, because, according to her, she has survived but has not yet won the fight.
By Bintu Kamara
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