Picture a society free from the deadly outcomes of cancer—a society in which people are standing collectively, raising awareness, and fighting for a cause.
People unite on World Cancer Day to honor people who are and were affected by cancer.
World Cancer Day has been celebrated annually on the Fourth of February since 2000.
To this day cancer remains one of, if not the most significant, health challenges worldwide. It affects millions of people each year.
The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) coordinates the universal observance of the day, striving to create a world without cancer-related deaths.
Every year on World Cancer Day there are themes based on many different medical diagnoses. This year’s theme name is “United by Unique”
Every experience with cancer is unique and it will take everyone, united, to create a world where we look beyond the disease and see the person before the patient.
The UICC website states, “It means not focusing just on treating the disease, but adopting the perspectives and experiences of individuals, carers, families, and communities as participants in, and beneficiaries of, trusted health systems that respond to their needs and preferences in holistic ways.”
Joseph A. Foran High School takes on many actions to raise awareness of cancer such as yellow or pink-themed football games, and many other sporting activities helping raise awareness for the cause.
English Teacher Mrs. Lauren O’Keefe was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when she was 26 years old.
When she was first diagnosed, O’Keefe was working in a school district in New Jersey, where she received support from her community.
Her fiance, now husband, was also there for her during the hardest times, giving her the support she needed.
Even with the physical and emotional challenges of chemotherapy—twice a month for six months—O’Keefe would always be focused on the positives. “I think that attitude is the most important part of most tasks in your life,” She shared.
O’Keefe chose not to linger on self-pity when she knew some people faced cancer treatment without that diagnosis.
Another one of Foran’s faculty members, Kristin Skuches, had an abnormal mammogram which then led her to get a biopsy that confirmed her early-stage breast cancer. She stated, “I was really lucky that my breast cancer was caught early, and it’s why mammograms are so important.”
Regardless of not needing chemo because it was caught in the early stages, she still underwent four surgeries within a year.
Skuches stayed focused on the process and had faith in her medical team that everything would work in her favor.
Her experience was made much easier with the support from her family and friends, especially at Foran High School, where the swim team staged a big fundraiser for Smilow Cancer Hospital.
“It was that kindness that made me revere this school as part of my family,” she says.
Today, Foran raised $181 dollars for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
