World Cancer Day shines spotlight on disease
*The following article was originally published on October 3 as part of United Way of Davidson County’s “Now More Than Ever” campaign. It has been updated to include information provided to us by Cancer Services of Davidson County’s Executive Director Ray Nance Howell, IV regarding World Cancer Day.
World Cancer Day is every year on the 4th of February; it is a global uniting initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). Their goal is to raise worldwide awareness and to cause personal, collective, and government action. The event was started in 2000 and every year there are hundreds of activities that take place all over the world. In fact, during last year’s event “World Cancer Day” had more than 20,000 press mentions in 150 countries across print, online, and broadcast. However, seeing that Davidson Local is your hyper-local news source, we wanted our story to be more personal and local.
Alicia Ayers couldn’t believe it when she was diagnosed with breast cancer back in April. Her first thought was that this wasn’t possible. She was way too young to have cancer; how could this even happen? Most women that get breast cancer are typically over the age of 55. She was only 38. However, one woman in eight will have to deal with breast cancer in her lifetime. Alicia just couldn’t believe that she was the one. She reflects back on her diagnosis saying, “The diagnosis just tore my mind, body, and spirit to pieces to just even try and grasp it. I mean, I just couldn’t believe it and I didn’t know how to deal with it.” One of the first steps that she took though was reaching out to Cancer Services of Davidson County.
Cancer Services of Davidson County is a United Way of Davidson County partner agency that offers emotional, physical, and financial support to cancer patients throughout Davidson County. Their vision is to give cancer patients hope for life, and they help people like Alicia every day. She was able to take advantage of the Cancer Patient Support Program that United Way of Davidson County helps to fund. Thanks to the generous donors of the United Way, Alicia was able to get gas money to travel to and from cancer treatments. She was able to get a free wig. She was even able to have a day of pampering thanks to a partnership that Cancer Services of Davidson County has with Rhythms Spa and Salon. Financial, physical, and emotional support were available to Alicia, and she took advantage of all three. More than anything though, Cancer Services was able to help Alicia navigate and deal with her diagnosis and show her that she was not alone in her battle. They gave her hope for life. Alicia said, “You just don’t realize how far the little things go. Those mileage checks. The wig. Every little thing that Cancer Services did. It goes a long way in my battle, and it has truly helped me.”
Alicia is just one in thousands of cancer patients in Davidson County. This past year, Cancer Services of Davidson County offered programs of support to 228 of those patients. With your help, they could serve even more patients. Many people who are diagnosed with cancer have the support that they need from friends, family, and their own resources. Many do not. Cancer Services of Davidson County is there to help those who need hope in their cancer battle. However, they could not do what they do without the help of their donors. This World Cancer Day, you can make a difference in the life of a local cancer patient.
You can help Alicia and hundreds of other cancer patients in their battle by supporting United Way of Davidson County. When you give to their campaign your money goes to community members in need just like Alicia. Now, more than ever, we need your help in helping people. On this Worldwide Cancer Day, we invite you to give cancer patients hope for life! You can find more information about Cancer Services of Davidson County at www.cancerservicesofdc.org.
Cancer Services of Davidson County provides emotional, physical, and financial support to individuals in Davidson County who are fighting cancer.
