October is the Breast Cancer Awareness Month and like every year, this year too the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation (UBF) will be organising the Pink Ribbon Walk on September 30. The foundation was established in 2007 to create awareness about breast cancer and early detection. Talking about the impact of the walk, Dr. P. Raghuram CEO and Director of UBF says, “The foundation is named after my mother who is a breast cancer survivor. When we started, the awareness was still in its infancy. However, breast cancer is no longer a closet issue.” He says because of the walk, different private organisations are getting involved in creating awareness about various other health issues.
Dr. P. Raghuram explains that the motto behind the campaign is to prime, engage and empower the community. “We had engaged celebrities like Gauthami, Pam Chopra who are cancer survivors to draw attention to the cause. Now that we have the attention we want to reach out to the rural community,” he says. The foundation has partnered with the A.P government to train health care workers on Clinical Breast Examination. He insists that women over 40 should go for a mammogram twice a year for better prognosis.
The two kilometre-long Pink Ribbon Walk will start at 6 a.m. on September 30. John Abraham is the star campaigner and V.V.S Laxman and Charmme have also been roped in for the campaign. Apart from talking about early detection, the walk will be a salute to the cancer survivors. “In the past, some of my patients from the ward have participated in the walk,” he adds. Apart from the walk, Charminar and the Buddha statue will be lit with pink light on the night of September 30. People from all walks of life are invited to participate in the campaign.
