“Let it be known that as of this day, ignorance is no longer an excuse and no woman should be left to suffer in silence,” Princess Reema Bin Bandar Bin Sultan proclaimed at the launch of ‘A Woman's Stand' campaign against breast cancer. As part of the campaign, an attempt will be made by Saudi women to form the world's largest “Pink Ribbon” human chain in Jeddah on Oct. 28. The campaign is a local Saudi initiative to help increase breast cancer awareness efforts in the Kingdom and to bring these efforts on par with global standards. Under the patronage of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, the campaign is organized by the Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Foundation and Al-Bidayah Breast Feeding Resource & Women's Awareness Center for the Zahra Breast Cancer Association. “Breast cancer affects women mainly in their 40s. Contrary to local knowledge, it is a disease that can be cured if diagnosed at an early stage. Awareness efforts such as this campaign are imperative to help people realize that early detection with screening mammography and medical consultation are important factors to save lives. A good attitude toward this disease and those affected by it is mandatory,” said, Dr. Muna Baslaim, a breast surgeon and head of the breast unit at King Fahd General Hospital in Jeddah. Breast cancer cases constitute 24 percent of the total cancer cases in the Kingdom. According to the latest Saudi Cancer Registry report over 10,000 cases of cancer were treated in one year alone. Seeing the effect that breast cancer is having on Saudi society, Princess Reema and Al-Bidayah Center decided to collaborate and create an awareness campaign that would educate and allow the average women to make a difference. The cooperation response for the campaign was great, where Avon (for cosmetics) participated as the silver sponsor and MBC Group joined the campaign as the exclusive media-broadcast partner. Dr. Modi Batterjee, spokesperson for the campaign, volunteering for Zahra Breast Cancer Association and founding member of Al-Bidayah Center, said the campaign would culminate in Jeddah on Oct. 28 when thousands of women from across the Kingdom unite to form the largest human chain in the form of a ‘Pink Ribbon' – the international symbol of breast cancer awareness. The ribbon formation is an attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the category of “Largest Human Awareness Ribbon.” The current Guinness World Record holder for the category of Largest Human Awareness Ribbon is AIDS-Hilife Frankfurt e.v. which was able to secure 3,640 participants in Germany on June 29, 2007. The Saudi campaign aims to attract enough participants to break this record and put Saudi Arabia and its women in the book.
