KUCHING: More than 2,000 runners swarmed BDC yesterday morning for the third edition of the KPJ Cancer Awareness Bubble Rush 2019. The run aimed to increase cancer awareness among members of the public.
The annual charity event witnessed two categories — 3km and 7km — at the new KPJ Kuching Specialist Hospital (KPJ Kuching) grounds.
Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian flagged off the 7km run at 6.30am and the 3km run later at 6.45am.
In a statement shared by KPJ, cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and is responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018 alone.
According to statistics by Globocan, a total of 43,837 new cases of cancer were detected in 2018 in Malaysia.
From this figure, 17.3 per cent or 7,593 cases were breast cancer cases, followed by colorectal cancer (14 percent or 6,137 cases), lung cancer (10.7 per cent or 4,686 cases), nasopharynx cases (4.8 per cent or 4,686 cases), liver cancer (4.4 per cent or 1,944 cases) and others (48.8 per cent or 21,388 cases).
The mortality rate due to cancer in 2018 was 26,395 deaths. This figure is very alarming as Malaysia is developing itself into an industrial nation with a population of 32 million people.
Dr Sim stated that cancer came in second as the most common death after heart disease.
“Cancer is much more common than you realise and the best way to prevent it is through early detection,” he said.
Due to the alarming figures, KPJ Hospital organised a charity run to promote awareness of cancer among the public.
The theme and tagline for this year’s Bubble Rush was ‘Blow the cancer away’, which was to symbolise the stand to fight against cancer.
“As a healthcare provider in Kuching, we view the alarming cancer statistics seriously and it is our responsibility to educate and create the necessary awareness about cancer among the public.
“This year, the hospital saw an increase in cancer cases, especially cervical cancer, as compared to last year.
“Therefore, it is important to inform the public about this serious matter and organising this charity run is one of the best ways to show our stand and donate to cancer associations at the same time,” KPJ Kuching general manager Nurhazimah Mahat said.
The hospital also donated a sum from the fees collected to two beneficiaries that are active in supporting cancer patients and survivors in Kuching.
The two beneficiaries are Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS) and the Society of Cancer Advocacy and Awareness Kuching (Scan). Both were represented by Nazrin Zakaria and Siew Boon Lui from SCCS and Scan, respectively.
Other activities held during the event included health screenings, Zumba session and lucky draws.
