Khaleej Times turns pink for breast cancer awareness
dubai — Balloons, ribbons and strawberry ice cream awaited men and women at Khaleej Times on Monday, as the office turned pink to raise breast cancer awareness.
The ultimate goal was to educate employees on the importance self-checks and early detection. Wearing their masks and observing social distancing, employees came together for the programme.
The socially distanced event — co-sponsored by Baskin Robbins — was conducted in a spacious conference room within the premises of Khaleej Times’ office in Al Quoz with all Covid-19 precautionary measures in place.
Among some of the fun activities organised for the employees were a breast cancer awareness dance by a group of women and a session where the staff wrote short, inspiring and positive messages on how they would support the cause.
While some pledged to regularly do self- examinations, others vowed to get mammogram tests done regularly, maintain a positive attitude, and live a healthy lifestyle.
Explaining the idea behind the get-together, Rajeev Khanna, Chief Operating Officer of Galadari Printing and Publishing, said: “As part of our efforts to raise awareness about breast cancer — which is one of the most frequently diagnosed forms of cancer among women in this region — Khaleej Times, along with its sister company Baskin Robbins, organised a special get-together for our employees, keeping Covid-19 safety measures in place.”
Since October is the month for breast cancer awareness, Khanna said: “We wanted to make our employees feel special as they are important to us and we deeply value them. Hence, we organised a small meet-up where we invited our employees to share positive stories, boost confidence of cancer warriors by writing feel-good messages on a designated board, and pledge support to take care of their health as well as of those around them. We also treated them to Baskin Robbins strawberry (pink) ice cream and gifted them with a goodie bag that included self-care items just to show we care and we are there to support them through thick and thin.”
We wanted to make our employees feel special as they are important to us and we deeply value them.” Rajeev Khanna,
Chief Operating Officer, Galadari Printing and Publishing
Survivor’s story
Among those present at the meet was a KT employee who survived breast cancer. As she shared how she beat the big C with grit and determination, she also reiterated the importance of regularly examining oneself.
“Breast cancer can strike anyone at any time. I detected my cancerous growth while I was taking a shower but since I didn’t delay in getting it checked, I was able to have it removed in Stage 1.
“At such a point in life, one needs the great support of family and friends, and I was lucky enough because I also got unconditional support from my colleagues and bosses. This is the kind of support that can help us overcome our fears.”