This Thursday, 9/22, The Max Foundation and My PCR will join the global CML community in raising our collective voices in support of the needs of people living with CML worldwide. Initiated by the patient community in 2008, September 22 (9/22) has marked World CML Day because of its symbolic significance – the disease is caused by the change of chromosomes 9 and 22. On this day, patients, advocates, physicians and caregivers across the globe come together to raise awareness about their needs to the general public, politicians, and medical professionals across the world.
World CML Day is also a significant date for the My PCR initiative as it marks four years since the initial launch of the campaign. The My PCR initiative is a patient driven global awareness effort, carried out in partnership with a coalition of CML-focused organizations that aims to increase awareness about the need to monitor CML treatment and the right of every patient to know their test results. This year, The Max Foundation and other My PCR partners worldwide are honoring 9/22 by engaging with their physicians through the My PCR “Treat Your Physician” grant initiative. Through My PCR, partners are awarded a grant to create a My PCR themed treat to say THANK YOU to their physicians for their dedication to patients and further open patient – physician dialogues about the role of PCR testing in the monitoring of CML.
Keep an eye out on social media all this week for photos and updates about “Treat Your Physician” activities around the world, and let’s make our voices heard!
The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 27 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope.
Each year, The Max Foundation chooses a colleague to receive our Excellence in Patient Advocacy Award, honoring a member of our global team who has done something especially remarkable that year. On December 17th, we were delighted to present this year’s Excellence in Patient Advocacy Award to Viji Venkatesh, Region Head for South Asia, for her tireless dedication to the patients she serves.
The Indian subcontinent has always been characterized by the stoic inner strength of its population that has helped them overcome natural and man-made disasters that seem to always be lying in wait for them. Burdened by their large populations, poor economy and the inept administration of their largely unstable governments, it has fallen upon the people to come to their own rescue.
And it is not so different for their health either. Besides the share of debilitating infectious diseases, many are facing a rising incidence of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer. The challenges here go beyond funding. There is fear, denial, and the heavy burden of stigma.
Join us this summer in Malaysia! In July 2017, a team of partners, cancer survivors, and friends like you will join us from the USA, Malaysia, and beyond to embark on an adventure with a common goal: raising funds to carry out our work supporting cancer patients in Malaysia.
