GHANAIAN DOCTOR PARTICIPATES IN US BREAST CANCER WALK (PAGE 11)

THE President of Breast Care International, (BCI) Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai, has returned from the United States of America after joining the US Vice-President, Mr Joe Bidden, and other dignitaries to participate in a walk to highlight the world-wide growing breast cancer crisis and its effect on women in particular.
According to Dr Addai, about 45,000 people participated in the 20th walk dubbed Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure, which took place in Washington, D.C.
“They came to honour a loved one, to celebrate survival of victims and to make an impact in the global fight against breast cancer. In the end, the event raised USD 4.3 million to fund breast cancer programmes around the globe and throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area.”, she told the Daily Graphic.
She explained that Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founded Susan G. Komen for the Cure more than 27 years ago as a promise to her sister Susan, who died of breast cancer at age 36.
Dr Addai pointed out that “the statistics on the disease is staggering. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women world-wide. Somewhere in the world, a woman dies from breast cancer every 68 seconds. In all, nearly half million people die from the disease each year”.
She announced that as part of the walk, the Komen Global Race for the Cure paid tribute to the nearly 4,000 breast cancer survivors that participated in the race, including 21 global survivors representing 18 countries.
Dr Addai who represented Ghana is a breast cancer specialist and a surgeon who has been championing the fight against breast cancer in the country over the years .
On how to reduce the effect of breast cancer on women, she said “early detection can save the woman’s breast and her life as well” stressing “ignorance is killing our women and we have to fight it by empowering them with knowledge about the disease to appreciate breast self -examination and screening.”
She said apart from the US Vice-President and his wife who honoured the event, Dr Jill Biden, a long-time advocate for breast health education addressed the massive crowd of survivors and supporters, “telling them that they are paving the way for a breast cancer-free world through their efforts."
She said as part of her address, Ambassador Nancy Brinker, called on each participant to find a way to make an impact on this deadly disease, stressing that “Without a cure, in the next 25 years, an estimated 11 million will die from the disease world-wide.