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Region: Africa & Middle East

  • Reflections Following the Loss of a Beloved Cancer Advocate

    Reflections Following the Loss of a Beloved Cancer Advocate

    The passing of our dear friend, advocate and colleague Ferdinand, has shaken the close-knit global chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) community. CML, a rare form of leukemia that used to be fatal, now is treated with innovative targeted therapies commonly referred to as TKIs. There has been unprecedented global access to these TKIs and this has fostered the development of one of the strongest global patient communities for a rare cancer. Ferdinand, from Nairobi, Kenya, was a loved member of this community.

  • Inspiration Abounds at Fred Hutch

    Inspiration Abounds at Fred Hutch

    This has been an incredible year. The Max Foundation not only celebrated 20 wonderful years of impacting and changing lives it also expanded its horizons. We are embracing new challenges and turning them into opportunities to change lives across the globe. During my visit to Seattle for our 20th anniversary celebration, I was fortunate to….

  • With Love in South Africa

    With Love in South Africa

    Between all the emails, paper and meetings and the general rush of everyday life, it can be often neglected to reflect on the actual motivation for the efforts and input we make. On a recent dry and hazy morning my colleague, Geraldine, and I find ourselves lost in one of the neighboring townships. In South….

  • Stories of Dignity and Hope: South Africa and Thailand | Maximize Life Campaign 2016

    Stories of Dignity and Hope: South Africa and Thailand | Maximize Life Campaign 2016

    When Ka came to Thailand for access to treatment, she had the chance to join the MaxSmiles patient group meetings. Ka started to dream about having her own meetings and soon found support from Dr. Mary Cluck, an Australian volunteer working with Cambodian CML patients. Ka stepped up and called the patients one-by-one to invite them to their first patient meeting.

  • Around the World for Max’s Day!

    Around the World for Max’s Day!

    It was an amazing 24 hours! To celebrate Max’s birthday anniversary, we went around the world through Facebook Live to visit each regional office, meet special friends, and learn how each of us contributes to caring and supporting people facing cancer. Never before has our team felt so close and united. Watch each of the….

  • Stories of Survival in Africa

    Stories of Survival in Africa

    Thousands of patients are diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) annually around the world. CML, like any other cancer, does not discriminate. It affects people from all regions and walks of life. However, unlike many other cancers, CML has an amazing story due to advancements made in its treatment in the last decade. It was only 15 years ago that a patient newly diagnosed with CML would have a prognosis of survival of less than 5 years with the treatments available at the time.

  • Congratulations to the 2015 Maximize Life Essay Contest Winners!

    Congratulations to the 2015 Maximize Life Essay Contest Winners!

    Have you visited the 2015 Maximize Life Essay Contest webpage recently? The Max Foundation is honored to share that the 2015 Maximize Life Essay Contest winners are officially released! Three winners in total, one for each of the French, English and Spanish categories, were selected by a panel of highly esteemed judges within the global health community. You may view the complete panel of judges here. We are exceedingly grateful for the valuable time and input provided by each of the judges. With 71 meaningful and authentic personal stories submitted, it was no small task to select only one winner for each language category!

  • The Maximize Life Campaign: Africa and Middle East

    This year, like past years, 16 patient support groups in Africa and Middle East have joined the Maximize Life Campaign with enthusiasm and excitement. All the groups in Africa welcome back our friends from Sierra Leone who inspired us all with their resilience in the face of the Ebola epidemic that touched their country.

  • Nurses Filling the Gap for Patients in Southern Africa

    Nurses Filling the Gap for Patients in Southern Africa

    In an ideal world, a diagnosed cancer patient would receive disease and treatment information from their physician and healthcare workers at the clinic. With access to technology, they would broaden their knowledge and gain additional support from a patient group. Family and community members would also play a supportive role in searching for information and support.

  • Advocacy, a Technology Breakthrough, and a Celebration of Life

    Advocacy, a Technology Breakthrough, and a Celebration of Life

    On a dry sunny Saturday in Addis Ababa, more than 100 people sat in an auditorium at the Black Lion Hospital, intently listening to a panel of experts. Representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health, doctors, local and international NGOs, and concerned citizens, gathered together for the first time, to discuss the challenges of treating cancer in the country. People in the audience were not ordinary people; they were people who were affected by the dreaded C word, cancer. Most of them, parents whose children were undergoing treatment, some of them cancer survivors themselves.