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 28 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.
We’ve already seen lots of activity around the world this spring: The first gastrointestinal stromal tumor patient meeting in Hyderabad, India; storytelling workshops where people facing cancer learn to share their experience with dignity and hope; and the Malaysia patient team takes their gathering public with a great picnic! See what else has been happening at The Max Foundation during the first part of 2016.
October is my favorite month of the year. It marks a changing of the seasons in both the southern and northern hemispheres that brings a sense of reflection and excitement. As such, there could not be a more appropriate month to celebrate theMaximize Life Global Cancer Awareness Campaign, an initiative that encourages people impacted by cancer to reflect on their experiences, celebrate their resiliency, and share their stories with the world.
Cancer impacts entire families, not just the person receiving the diagnosis. Salsabila was 16 when she found out her father had marginal zone lymphoma. She’s the eldest of three siblings, living with her family in Malaysia. Navigating her father Mr. Azmi’s symptoms and treatment was difficult for them. Despite these challenges, Salsabila continued to study….
