Monday, February 4, 2019

World Cancer Day

February 4 is World Cancer Day.

Since 2000, this day has been set aside to highlight issues related to cancer -- access to treatment, funding for research, awareness of how to prevent it, and other issues that affect the millions of people around the world who have cancer or who have been diagnosed in the past.

World Cancer Day is sponsored by the Union for International Cancer Control, which is itself made up of over 1000 cancer-related organizations from over 160 countries. The fact that there are over 1000 cancer-related organizations in the world says a lot about how widespread cancer is, and how many people it effects.

Not that I need to remind any of you about that.

The theme for this year's World Cancer Day is "I Am and I Will." It's part of a 3 year campaign. It highlights the idea that, no matter who you are, you have the power to take some kind of action. Together, many individuals can have a big impact.

Not all of us need to be as public as some of us in raising awareness, raising money, and pushing for support. Sometimes, it's enough to make it through the day. And that's fine.

But if you are interested in being more public today, there are some materials for you to explore.

Consider adding something to Facebook or Twitter, or some other place where you can reach others and remind them about the day. And maybe inspire them to get involved, too.

"Awareness" days can sometimes get lost in the noise that makes up the online world. But sometimes, someone might see the message and want to do something about it.

Let's hope that a whole lot of someones do something about it today, and we keep working together to make a difference.


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