KUCHING: Cancer survivors and their caregivers will be featured at a fashion show programme at the Plaza Merdeka, here on Feb 4.
The Society for Cancer Advocacy and Awareness Kuching (SCAN) will host ‘World Cancer Day: Raising Patient Voices through Form & Fashion’ in support of the international day.
The society said the event, themed ‘Positively Powerful Life After Cancer’, will be held at 11am.
Women, Early Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah will grace the occasion.
“The theme aims to showcase the resilience, strength, and hope of cancer survivors and caregivers, inspiring others to participate in future cancer awareness initiatives,” the society said in a statement, adding that the event is a partnership between SCAN and Plaza Merdeka.
The programme will kick off with a Zumba session led by talented instructors from Amber Studio in Kuching.
“Regular exercise has been shown to decrease the risk of cancer. Therefore, participants are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the one-hour free Zumba session,” it said.
A knowledge-sharing forum will be held featuring a panel of oncologists to discuss the illness, detection, prevention and care.
The doctors will share their knowledge and experiences on the disease, its impact on patients and families, and topics such as a general overview of cancer, cancer myths, early detection and prevention, and living with cancer.
It will be followed by a talk, ‘On the Journey to Cancer Recovery’ from Amanita Sarawak, a social enterprise founded in 2005 for women recovering from breast cancer whose primary goal is to help women restore their self-image, appearance and confidence.
For the record, the theme for the World Cancer Day for 2022 to 2024 is ‘Close the Care Gap’ which stresses the need to address disparities in access to cancer care.
“This gap is especially obvious in developing countries, where factors such as income, education, location, race, and gender impact access to optimal treatment. In Malaysia, there are still disparities in care, particularly for patients from rural areas who face financial constraints from travel and treatment costs.
“The rising cost of cancer treatments and drugs, not typically covered by government subsidies, has led to financial hardship for patients and their families. As a result, some are forced to abandon treatment and succumb to cancer,” the society added.
