Public urged to get talking about cancer during Cancer Week Ireland 2017

News Article | 23 Aug 2017

Start a conversation by holding a Cancer Week Ireland event between 25 September and 1 October

From coffee mornings to quiz nights, expert advice to patient stories, communities throughout Ireland are being encouraged to get involved in Cancer Week Ireland 2017, which takes place from Monday, 25 September to Sunday, 1 October.

[[{"fid":"7243","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Collage of events from Cancer Week 2016","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Collage of events from Cancer Week 2016","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"alt":"Collage of events from Cancer Week 2016","style":"height: 300px; width: 300px; float: right; margin: 2px;","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"2"}}]]Initiated by the Irish Cancer Society and Trinity College Dublin, Cancer Week Ireland wants to start a national conversation about cancer. It is about getting everyone engaged in the issue of cancer and how we can prevent it, spot it earlier, improve treatment, and survive and thrive afterwards.

Between Monday 25th September and Sunday 1st October, Cancer Week Ireland wants to inspire communities and organisations, large and small, to host an event and be part of the conversation.

A dedicated website – cancerweek.ie – has been set up to allow everyone to upload and promote their event to a wide audience. Whether you’re a medical professional, a cancer patient or survivor, or a member of the public, we want you to get involved.

Now in its fourth year, among the free events already planned for Cancer Week Ireland 2017 are:

[[{"fid":"7207","view_mode":"teaser","fields":{"format":"teaser","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"National Conference for Cancer Survivorship 2017 – Living Well with Cancer","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"teaser","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"National Conference for Cancer Survivorship 2017 – Living Well with Cancer","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"alt":"National Conference for Cancer Survivorship 2017 – Living Well with Cancer","style":"float: right; margin: 2px;","class":"media-element file-teaser","data-delta":"1"}}]]Living Well with Cancer, the annual National Conference for Cancer Survivorship organised by the Irish Cancer Society, where anyone who has been affected by cancer has an opportunity to gain insight and practical advice that can make a difference in their daily lives (Friday 29 and Saturday 30 September, Aviva Stadium Dublin). Learn more about our cancer survivorship conference.
The public symposium, Cancer Research Frontiers, hosted by Trinity College Dublin, where Trinity researchers will shed light on the latest developments in cancer research and potential outcomes for patients, as well as offering lab tours for a behind-the-scenes look into research work (Friday 29 September, Trinity Biomedical Science Institute).
Living with Secondary Cancer – What Happens Now That It’s Back?, an event for people living with secondary cancer, where their cancer has spread to other parts of the body (Saturday, 30 September, Aviva Stadium Dublin).

Over the coming weeks we’ll be asking the public to host their own local events in their communities, schools, organisations or workplaces that start a conversation around cancer. For event ideas and advice, the public can visit cancerweek.ie/ideas .

Commenting on the nationwide initiative, Donal Buggy, Head of Services and Advocacy at the Irish Cancer Society said “While still relatively new, Cancer Week Ireland has become a significant part of the work of the Irish Cancer Society. But the week isn’t about us – it’s about getting people talking about cancer so that they don’t have to fear it.

“This year 40,000 people in Ireland will hear the words ‘you have cancer’. But such a large number doesn’t have to instil fear. Survival rates are improving – today, six in ten cancer patients survive for at least five years. Research advances are telling us more about how we can prevent, detect and treat cancer, and survive and thrive after a diagnosis."

Professor John Reynolds, Academic Head of Department of Clinical Surgery, Trinity College Dublin and Consultant, St. James's Hospital said: “Cancer Week Ireland provides an opportunity for the Irish Cancer Society and the Irish cancer research community to engage with the general public in relation to the latest developments in research and to promote the importance of early diagnosis and healthy living in both preventing and fighting the disease.”

Donal Buggy continued: “Cancer is no longer the death sentence it once was. Cancer Week Ireland is about encouraging us all to open up about cancer so that the fear of the past can be replaced by hope for better outcomes and a brighter future.”

For more information, visit http://cancerweek.ie.