ALL READY AND SET TO RUN FOR THEIR LIVES
Date: 9th December 2018 Venue: Race Course Colombo
One of the country’s best known projects is all set to kick start this week on the 9th of December! In its 9th iteration this year, “Run For Their Lives” was inaugurated in 2010 by the Rotaract Club of Colombo Uptown. RTFL, the club’s signature project, is an annual charity run in aid of the Apeksha Cancer Hospital of Maharagama. The Rotaractors steered RTFL with such hardwork and dedication that a project with humble beginnings has now grown to be well established, commanding widespread support from all sectors, including that of private donors and participants. The primary objectives of RFTL are to raise awareness of those stricken with cancer in Sri Lanka and to encourage the public to contribute to charitable causes in a more unorthodox and enjoyable manner.
RFTL is more than a charity run, establishing itself as ‘a social gathering of those eager to meet like-minded people and together, aid those in need of dire assistance. Since its inception, Run For Their Lives has been able to raise more than 25 million rupees in aid of those affected by cancer’. Thus far, funds raised have contributed immensely, including for the purchase of medicine for cancer patients. This has been a vital donation considering that a tight budget and free treatment often puts the Cancer Hospital in dire need of essential medicine. Speaking on the project, Dr. M. Y. K. Wilfred - Director of Apeksha Hospital stated: “Rotaract has indeed played a very significant role in organising service projects in Sri Lanka, and I wish to thank them for giving the much-needed priority to the Health Sector, particularly, for the welfare of cancer patients. As some of you may know, doctors of the National Cancer Institute diagnose and treat about 12,000 new cancer patients each year. However, over the past year the treatment centres in Maharagama, Karapitiya, Jaffna, Batticaloa,
Kandy, Kurunegala, Ratnapura and Badulla reported more than 25,000 new cases. Treatment at the Cancer Institute is free of charge in keeping with the welfare policy of the Government. The Ministry of Health allocates a very large sum of money each year to provide for the treatment of cancer patients and upkeep of the hospital with the latest medical facilities. Unfortunately, shortcomings and shortages are inevitable as the cost burden keeps escalating each year due to the high cost new curative drugs and treatment schedules which are internationally accepted”. In view of this, he reiterated the importance of the support of projects such as RFTL, and urged those are are able to support the cause to come forward.