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Has Breast Cancer Awareness Month become Trite?

By Nomali Cele

The inevitable thing with special days that require badges and pins is that they run a risk of becoming redundant. Yes, the campaigns may meet their mandates and, in fact, raise the awareness during the duration of their run. But there’s also a danger that as soon as the badges come off and the colour scheme changes, we forget. A danger that we’re not effecting as much change as we possibly could were the campaigns taken as an ordinary part of life until the social ill is alleviated, or the disease vanquished.

 

What is Breast Cancer Awareness Month about?

Breast Cancer Awareness month is observed internationally with various educational, awareness and fundraising campaigns all in aid of breast cancer awareness and support for those affected.

Why does Breast Awareness Month matter?

According to CANSA, Breast cancer is the number one cancer affecting South African women. In 2012, 1 in 26 south African women had a lifetime risk of cancer. This statistic alone tells me that awareness is an important part of fighting cancer. After all, the slogans go “early detection saves lives.”

During breast cancer awareness month, and in the months leading up to it, Kaya 959 support the Justine iThemba crusade against breast cancer, which raises funds for different organisations working with those diagnosed with cancer.

It’s easy to be sceptical about the work being done primarily when ayou only hear about a cause during its designated month of “awareness.” I asked a colleague if she felt that there wasn’t anything new or as much being done during and outside breast cancer awareness month and her answer blew my mind.

“Campaigns focus too much on people who might have cancer.” Yes, early detection is important but this colleague made me realise that these messages could be alienating in that they are not telling us what we can do to help those already diagnosed.

What more can we do?

There isn’t any doubt that we should definitely be doing more. Increase visibility of the ways we can help individuals fighting cancer and their families. Emphasising the small ways individuals can assist is also imperative because at a glance, the problem is big and all we can do is already being done.

Ways to help someone going through cancer:

Take their mind off illness – being sick is hard and it takes a toll on every aspect of a person’s life so some time out where they don’t have to think about treatments is restorative

Support their support structure – find out what their family, partner or friends need.

Listen – if someone close to you is going through treatment or has recently been diagnosed, listen.

Donate to organisations serving cancer patients and survivors in your communities – money makes treatments and research and care possible.

So no, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has not become trite. If you are feeling helpless and out of ways to help, start with yourself. Do your self-exam and take it from there. It’s up to us to make breast cancer awareness (and awareness for all the causes that matter to us) a 365-day thing.

See you at the 2017 Justine iThemba Walkathon

Written by: Kayafm Digital



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THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT FORMS PART OF KAYA 959’S TERMS OF USE POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY TERM OF THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT, YOU MUST CEASE YOUR ACCESS OF THIS WEBSITE IMMEDIATELY. 

POPIA ActTo promote the protection of personal information processed by public and private bodies; to introduce certain conditions so as to establish minimum requirements for the processing of personal information; to provide for the establishment of an Information Regulator to exercise certain powers and to perform certain duties and functions in terms of this Act and the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000; to provide for the issuing of codes of conduct; to provide for the rights of persons regarding unsolicited electronic communications and automated decision making; to regulate the flow of personal information across the borders of the Republic; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

RECOGNISING THAT—

  • section 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides that everyone has the right to privacy;
  • the right to privacy includes a right to protection against the unlawful collection, retention, dissemination and use of personal information;
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AND BEARING IN MIND THAT—

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AND IN ORDER TO—

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1.1.“Personal Information” means information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person and where it is applicable, identifiable, existing juristic person, including all information as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. 

1.2  Parliament assented to POPIA on 19 November 2013. The commencement date of section 1Part A of Chapter 5section 112 and section 113 was 11 April 2014. The commencement date of the other sections was 1 July 2020 (with the exception of section 110 and 114(4). The President of South Africa has proclaimed the POPI commencement date to be 1 July 2020.

 
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2.3. Please note that, due to legal and other developments, KAYA 959 may amend these terms and conditions from time to time.  

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3.2.2. KAYA 959 will only process personal information in a manner that is adequate, relevant and not excessive in the context of the purpose for which it is processed. 

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3.2.4. KAYA 959 will keep records of all personal Information collected and the specific purpose for which it was collected for a period of 1 (one) year from the date on which it was last used. 

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4.2.2.1. The browser software used; 

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4.2.2.4. URLs of internal pages visited; and 

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  1. Queries

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