This archive report was first published on 22 June 2021.
On the first Sunday in June, Kenya joined the world in celebrating National Cancer Survivors Day, an annual worldwide celebration of life that recognizes cancer survivors, raises awareness of ongoing challenges, and honors those who have overcome the disease.
At the ibis Styles Hotel in Westlands, cancer survivors, business communities, and policy makers came together to discuss survivorship issues and flag out the challenges facing cancer survivors and their caregivers.
Started in the USA, National Cancer Survivors Day has become a global movement, with nearly 42,000 people newly diagnosed with cancer each year in Kenya.
According to Benda Kithaka, Founder of Kilele Challenge, the low 5-year survival rates in Africa may be associated with a lack of early detection, adequate diagnosis, and treatment facilities, resulting in a high proportion of illness presenting late.
ibis Styles teamed up with KILELE Health to recognize and honor the survivors who daily contend with life challenges beyond the cancer journey.
Among the survivors were those who had climbed Mt. Kenya in 2020, and new participants preparing for the 2021 KILELE Challenge Cancer Survivors and Caregivers Climb.
General Manager Stuart Clay noted that ibis Styles had offered this as corporate social responsibility, to celebrate survivors and honor them by giving them an opportunity to relax away from their daily hustle as well as support and be part of advocacy and policy making when it comes to issues related to quality of life of Cancer patients and those in remission.
