Tawam's breast cancer awareness campaign goes the extra mile

The hospital will be offering women FREE screening and examinations as well as hosting a range of workshops and lectures in the Al Ain and Abu Dhabi area and a run / walk for breast cancer awareness on Saturday October 25th.

With 1 in 10 women affected by breast cancer, Tawam has already visited the UAE University, the Al Ain family development foundation, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of commerce and industry giving out advice and information on breast cancer and providing FREE screening. Over the next few weeks, Tawam will be giving away educational information on breast cancer at the Al Ain Shopping Mall from October 20th - 23rd and also offering breast examinations and mammograms at the Al Ain Police, the Family development foundation in Abu Dhabi and the Mohammed Bin Khaleed Centre.

Speaking about the lecture that will take place on Monday October 20th at the Mohammed Bin Khaleed Centre, Shaikha Shama Bint Khaled Al Nehyamn said:

"It is an honor to be able to participate in this initiative which was started by Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Nahyan and to meet with ladies from across the society who want to know more about breast cancer prevention. We hope that as people become more educated about breast cancer that this will encourage women who may have been too shy to come forwards to come and get screened by Tawam Doctors."

The hospital's breast cancer campaign will draw to a close on Saturday October 25th with a run / walk for breast cancer awareness which will take place at Palm Golf Club, Al Ain. It will begin at 7:00 a.m. and participants will be able to choose from a 1km, 5km or 10km depending on their individual preference and fitness level. The run is being sponsored by Emirates Motor Company - platinum sponsor.

Commenting on the upcoming event, Mr. Michael E.Heindel, CEO of Tawam Hospital said: "This year we are expecting over 2000 people to take part in the run and have been overwhelmed by the amount of interest we have had in our 2008 breast cancer awareness campaign. We have also been particularly inspired by the bravery of so many of our cancer patients and the willingness of breast cancer survivors to talk openly about their experience."

Dedicated to providing World Class treatment and cancer awareness, Tawam will be using its mobile mammography to screen women throughout the month. The mobile unit which was unveiled earlier this year is the first-ever and only mobile mammography screening unit available in the UAE. Providing patients with expert surgeons and specialists who are equipped with the very latest state-of-the-art medical equipment, procedures can be carried out effectively and successfully. As the images from the unit are instantly transmitted to the support team at Tawam Hospital, diagnosis and recommendations can be made in hours.

"Even though we have screened women for breast cancer throughout the year we hope that during Breast Cancer awareness month more women will come forward and get screened. By screening more women, more regularly, we hope to be able to significantly reduce the number of fatalities. With 1-in-10 women at risk of developing cancer, the unit will play a significant role in allowing us to screen up to 20 patients per day," said Dr. Shama Al Awar, Chairperson of Tawam's Breast Cancer Awareness Committee.

"Although breast cancer deaths are on the decline due to medical advances and screening there is still a high prevalence of breast cancer cases in the UAE. From 2005 - 2007, almost half of the breast cancer cases were residing in Abu Dhabi, one quarter from Dubai and the rest from the other emirates" added Dr. Ghuwaya Al Neyadi, Eastern Region Program Manager, Public Health Division.

In terms of survival rates, the stage at which the cancer is detected is crucial in terms of treatment options and cure rate. The earlier it is detected the better. The Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) is supporting Tawam in its fight against breast cancer and is working closely with Dr. Ghuwaya Al Nevadi and her team to further expand the program.

Tawam Hosptial is owned and operated by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company. Tawam is affiliated with Johns Hopkins medicine since 2006 and was recently re-accredited by Joint Commission International.