Pink Lotus Ethiopia under the Meron Foundation organizes a recognition and fundraising dinner to support its cause of breast cancer awareness creation, mainly promoting early detection. Held on Thursday, September 15 at Inter luxury Hotel, different guests of the community attended the event.
“It has been 2 and half years since this foundation was established. We believe that early detected breast cancer can be cured, and we have achieved a lot including preparing different campaigns to create awareness on breast cancer including preventive measures, signs and also treatments,” said Meron Kebede founder of Meron foundation, and breast cancer survivor.
“There are different people in different sectors, who support our cause, and this program is to thank those who have been supporting us and at the same time we want to use the platform to raise funds,” said the founder.
Pink Lotus Ethiopia Breast Cancer Support Group is a self-help group who gather to share common problems and experience associated with breast cancer. It is under Meron cancer foundation, working in the area of breast cancer awareness creation, mainly promoting early detection.
“So far, we are reaching more than 10,000 women through awareness training and free screening campaigns with the help of more than 100 medical doctors,” Meron highlights.
In Ethiopia, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-morbidity among adult women, accounting for one-third of all cancer cases among women and one in five of all cancer cases.
According to Meron, the impact of the illness has been incited by 70% of affected individuals presenting late in the disease when medical interventions have a slim chance of succeeding.
“It’s just the beginning. We have a long way to go, and it’s our goal to reverse 70 percent of late-stage clinical presentations to 0 percent. And we believe we can do it,” said Meron with conviction.
In a country like Ethiopia, majority of breast cancer in women is presented at an advanced clinical stage, resulting in limited and difficult therapeutic options contributing to the poor survival rate.
Women living in rural areas often seek treatment from traditional healers before seeking help within the formal health system. Patients who have direct access to local and regional hospitals have the fewest number of encounters for treatment elsewhere. In the past two and half years, Pink Lotus has been working in Addis Ababa and its surrounding. “We have plans to go outside of Addis,” said Meron indicating that achieving this goal without the local community is impossible.
“We have come this far because of our local people who have a golden heart to help people. And we still need this support to happen on a continual basis to change the demography of breast cancer in our time,” emphasized Meron.