President kicks off anti-cancer charity march

The longest running charity drive on the island reached its peak on Sunday with the holding of the 48^th Christodoula March to raise money for cancer charities.

The slogan of this year’s campaign was Be There.

“So we are all here,” President Nikos Christodoulides said, launching the walk in Nicosia as similar events were held in all towns. “We are here as a society, in the leading event of solidarity with our fellow human beings”.

Saying that people in Cyprus were recorded as being more selfless than many others in Europe, Christodoulides call on all to donate generously.

Thanking all those who had worked together on the project, he said: “Neither the government, nor the public sector, nor the private sector alone can achieve our common goals, so this cooperation will not only continue but will be further strengthened. We will always be by your side, recognising in this way the very remarkable work you have offered.”

The evolution of medicine, he added, means terms such as incurable disease and terminal disease are no longer applied to cancer because it is largely treatable.

Accompanying Christodoulides on the march from the Aradaphnousa centre were Health Minister Popi Kanari and EU Heath Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

For the last couple of weeks similar smaller marches have been held around the island in addition to other fund raising activities and collection of donations on the road, as the event is the main cash drive for cancer charities.

Each year, the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society offers thousands of cancer patients supportive and palliative care, in addition to their medical treatment. The charity operates two palliative care centres – Arodaphnousa in Nicosia and Evagoreio in Limassol, while also offering home nursing care for patients, psychological and social support for them and family members, daily transport of patients from their cities to Nicosia and Limassol oncology centres.

According to Chairman of the Board at the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society Adamos Adamou, it has helped 4,500 patients in the last year carrying out more than 80,000 works for patients and family members.

The march commemorates the 15-20km journey made by cancer sufferer Christodoula, who in 1974 left her home in Famagusta as a refugee and walked to Sotira where she died of her illness.

Make your own contribution to the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society via www.anticancersociety.org.cy, or send an SMS to 7060: text CAS 5 to give €5, CAS 3 to give €3, CAS 1 to give €1