Andrielle Yost Understanding and recognizing the inequities in cancer care around the globe underpins the 2022-24 World Cancer Day theme to Close the Care Gap. The needs are urgent, and the opportunity exists to make progress toward equitable cancer care for all. We must listen to the perspectives of people living with cancer and let those lived experiences guide our thoughts and actions. This is why for World Cancer Day 2022, our global team members and patients shared their ideas on how to #AmplifyOurVoice, using a megaphone to radiate their message to the world.
World Cancer Day, celebrated on February 4, is a global initiative that aims to raise awareness about cancer education, care, and prevention. The initiative is led by our friends at the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), a member-based organization whose mission is to reduce the global cancer burden and promote equity.
Our patient community provided inspiring responses to the question what do you want to say to the world about yourself?
How can we amplify the voices of our patients? Our team members have some amazing ideas:
Collective progress occurs when we start at the individual level – each of us can make a difference by amplifying our voice to bring visibility to the barriers that exist in accessing cancer care. There is always something new we can do to advocate for our patients and take action for increased access to cancer care globally:
- Take your own photo! Create your own megaphone, snap a photo, and share your message on your social media platforms.
- Use your voice: tell at least one new person each month about the inequities that exist in cancer care on a global scale.
- Galvanize your network: share a blog post or news article from The Max Foundation with your online community, with a personal message about what it means to you.
- Have a birthday coming up? Create a fundraiser and ask friends and family to donate in lieu of gifts.
- Do your research: be an advocate by learning something new about global care inequities. Set a goal like reading one new publication per month.