A health walk was held in Accra on Saturday to raise awareness about childhood cancers and to mobilise support for children battling such diseases.
The 5-kilometre walk, through the principal streets of Korle Bu in Accra and joined by hundreds of people from all walks of life, was also used to raise funds towards the construction of Ghana’s first 40-bed Pediatric Oncology Treatment Centre.
It was organised by Lifeline for Childhood Cancer Ghana in partnership with the Pediatric Oncology Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, was dubbed “Walk for Hope, Step for Change.”
Speaking at the event, Professor Lorna Renner, Paediatric Oncologist Consultant at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, said many Ghanaians remained unaware that children could also develop cancer, sometimes from a very early age.
“People are more familiar with breast and prostate cancers, but childhood cancers are real and very treatable, more than 80 per cent of children with cancer can be cured if diagnosed early and given the right treatment,” she stated.
She explained that unlike adult cancers, childhood cancers were not caused by lifestyle factors such as smoking or obesity, but often occur during a child’s growth and development.
She, therefore, urged parents and caregivers to be alert to persistent or unusual symptoms.
The Executive Director of Lifeline for Childhood Cancer Ghana, Ms Akua Sarpong, described childhood cancer as a pressing national health concern.
She said the walk was part of activities to mark the Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which was observed every September to draw attention to the disease and its early warning signs.
BY CECILIA YADA LAGBA
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