The National Cancer Awareness Campaign (CAN), in partnership with the Kuwait Sociologists Association and the Kuwait Society for Combating Smoking and Cancer, organized an event called “Eid is Sweeter” to visit cancer patients at the Kuwait Cancer Control Center and the National Bank of Kuwait Children’s Hospital. Representative of the campaign, Dr. Suad Al-Hawal, and representatives of the Sociologists Association, Dr. Adel Al-Fahad, and Dr. Bader Al-Mishal, graced the event. The campaign’s chairman of the board of directors, Dr. Khaled Al-Saleh, congratulated health workers and patients, and praised service providers for their role in assisting the cancer patients and their mothers.
According to Al-Saleh, the cure rate for childhood cancers exceeds 80% if detected early. He urged the public to avoid cancer-causing agents and adopt a healthy lifestyle. He also pointed out that about 160 new cases of childhood cancer are registered in Kuwait each year. The most common type of childhood cancer is leukemia, which accounts for 40% of all childhood cancers, with brain cancer as the second most common type. Experts recommend that children be regularly examined for cancer symptoms. Reports also showed that there were 26,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed in the country from 2010 to 2019, Alrai Media reported.
The campaign’s team leader, Dr. Suad Al-Hawal, said that the efforts to visit patients on the second day of Eid Al-Adha were successful. Volunteers went to all departments of Makki Juma Hospital and shared holiday joys with the patients and gave them gifts, flowers, and prayers. The program also included a visit to the National Bank of Kuwait Children’s Hospital, where the team distributed gifts. Dr. Al-Hawal said that these initiatives are a humanitarian gesture and an act of compassion for patients and their families during the holy days.