Event Geek

In observance of Breast Awareness Month in October, the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) will hold the 8th annual “Moonwalk: A Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness” on Oct. 12. Moonwalk is open to the public. Participants are encouraged to wear pink shirts.

Moonwalk, a unique advocacy campaign of RAFI held every full moon of October, aims to promote the importance of observing monthly breast self-examination for women aged 20 and beyond.

It is also a campaign of RAFI to get more people to be aware on the importance of early cancer detection and prevention. At the same time, it is a tribute to the victims and survivors of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Cebuano women, based on the Cebu population-based Cancer Registry of RAFI.

From 1993 to 2007, Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of RAFI recorded a total of 3,005 reported breast cancer cases in Metro Cebu. EJACC found a continuous increase of breast cancer incidence in Metro Cebu over the past 10 years, caused by lifestyle and health-related factors.

The assembly area for this year’s Moonwalk will be at the Cebu Business Park near Pag-Ibig Fund Tower at 4 p.m. Participants will walk to The Walk in Asiatown I.T. Park where they will form a human pink ribbon. A short program and Pink Rock Concert will follow.

“With the growing awareness on breast cancer, we are expecting more participants this year—around 3,000 from 1,500 last year. Most of the participants are cancer patients, women from the barangays, and the youth. We encourage everyone, from all walks of life, to join us in this year’s Moonwalk,” Ronald delos Reyes, EJACC program coordinator, said.

Moonwalk is organized in collaboration with The Walk and in coordination with Ayala Center Cebu and I CAN SERVE. It is supported by the Cebu City Government, Department of Health Region 7, Asiatown I.T. Park, Cebu Business Park, Allied Banking Corporation, Phillipine National Bank, Cebu Praedia Development Corporation, Rotary Club of Cebu Fuente, and Destiny Medical Fund, Inc.

Moonwalk is an initiative under the Integrated Development focus area of RAFI, addressing health issues of communities in order to create a better quality of life.

For more details about the Moonwalk, or to register, please call 254-6351 or 256-3287 and look for Gina Mariquit.

Doctors pose together with the staff of EJACC after the free breast and cervical cancer screening at EJACC located inside the compound of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

More than 200 women benefited from the free breast and cervical screening held last June 21 at the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) and last June 25 at the Cebu Technology University (CTU).

EJACC of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) was tapped to be part of the grand outreach program dubbed “Halad sa Kapamilya” initiated by the Cebu City Chamber of Commerce and Industry and ABS-CBN at CTU.

The screening activities were organized in collaboration with the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) OB-GYN Department, VSMMC Breast Clinic, Integrated Midwife Association of the Philippines-Cebu Midwife Clinic, and Destiny Medical Fund.

Irenea Bacla-an from Consolacion,Cebu, one of the women who underwent the screening, came to avail the service to determine any abnormalities of her body and to be able to treat them as early as possible.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among Filipino women while cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women.

EJACC, which offers free breast and cervical screening every month, urges the public to undergo early detection measures—especially maintaining a healthy lifestyle and nutrition, exercise, proper hygiene, and avoiding stresses and vices—to prevent breast and cervical cancer.

EJACC is a program under the Integrated Development focus area of RAFI, addressing health issues of communities in order to create a better quality of life. Its other focus areas are Micro-finance and Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, Leadership and Citizenship, and Education.
For more information about breast and cervical cancer, please contact 254-6351 and look for Gina Mariquit.