Breast cancer awareness campaign road tour begins
The surgical department team of Tawau Hospital and the Tawau Kinabalu Pink Ribbon (TKPR) are working hand in hand for this year’s seventh annual breast cancer awareness campaign road tour that kicked off from Kalabakan recently.
The road tour schedule began at Kalabakan Health Clinic on August 17 and will follow at Holy Trinity Church (September 8), Merotai Health Clinic (September 14), Lahad Datu Hospital (September 16), Tawau Buddhist Lodge (October 5), Semporna Hospital (October 10), Tawau Hospice (October 12) and Kunak Hospital on October 15.
The purpose of the awareness campaign road tour is to instill greater awareness amongst the general public on the importance of early breast cancer detection and regular selfscreening.
Breast cancer awareness campaign is an effort to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of the disease through education on symptoms and seeking the right medical treatment.
In Kalabakan, Dr Nur Syamin Ismail conducted the talk for the kampung folks and a ‘Breast Cancer Journey’ was shared by TKPR chairperson Christy Fe Salazar, who is a breast cancer survivor, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 11 years ago in 2008.
After the talk and sharing, breast examination was conducted by four doctors and assisted by two senior staff nurses.
During her sharing, Christy stressed on early detection as the vital key to overcoming the battle. However, she said there is no point in early detection if the person seeks the wrong medical attention. Seeking the wrong medical attention is not only a waste of time but also ruins one’s life, she said.
Make sure to stay informed to help prevent breast cancer or know what to do in case you are diagnosed with one, she said.
She said Kinabalu Pink Ribbon aims to fight breast cancer by empowering and educating women on breast cancer healthcare and supporting survivors towards a better life. The Pink Ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness.
For the information of the public, the ‘Pinktober Run 2019’, an annual signature event will be the seventh edition this year, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Tawau to raise the level for breast cancer awareness.
The run will be held on October 20 (Sunday) at the Tawau town field as the starting and finishing point. The event will be officiated and flagged off by Datuk Hamisa Samat. T-shirts are now on sale. For more information, call 016 8262004.
Christy urged the public to join her and the others and expects not less than 3,000 participants to give impact to the local community, not only to raise the level of awareness but to prevent breast cancer through knowledge and education.
She also thanked the Rotary Club of Tawau for sponsoring goodies such as biscuits and chocolates to be given to those who attend the road tour campaign.