Relay for Life

More than 10 years ago, my mother contracted liver cancer, it happened not long after my maternal grandmother died of the same disease. From that moment, our family braced through the most difficult and challenging period of our lives, as we could not grasp and understand the situation my mother had to go through.

Today, she brought me to The National Cancer Society office in Kampung Baru, my mother will participate by promoting healthier meals at NCSM's 16 hours Relay for Life this weekend at the Bukit Jalil stadium, hoping to give an idea of a healthier lifestyle to cancer survivors or their families. For years she has been advocating organic food/natural and changing lifestyle to combat cancer.

I will be there as well. Yuan soap will participate too and 20% of proceeds will go to NCSM. But the real support would be having you to help celebrate lives whether for those who had battled cancer or survived, remember those who had lost the battles yet survived in our memories and let us fight back with more knowledge and support.

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From the official website of The National Cancer Society

CANCER IS THE NUMBER ONE KILLER DISEASE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

By 2020 it is expected that there would be 15 million new cancer cases worldwide. This means that by 2020; every family will have at least one member suffering from cancer - your parent, your spouse, your sibling or even your child.

You see, cancer can hit anyone at any age. We don't know who it will strike at and when. But we do know for sure that if we do not take action now to educate ourselves on cancer and to do all we can to eradicate this disease; it may be too late.

The National Cancer Society of Malaysia would like to invite YOU to join the fight against cancer by participating in the Relay for Life Kuala Lumpur 2009, from 30th - 31st May at the MSN Training Stadium, Bukit Jalil.RFL is 16 hours of non-stop fun and excitement, where teams of people of all ages and from all walks of life come together for this noble cause by camping out at the stadium and taking turns walking or running around the track. This will be our third year organizing RFL.

In 2007 and 2008, RFL KL attracted over 3,000 and 5,000 participants respectively. This year, WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION we hope to bring in even more participants.

With our tagline Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back! RFL KL offers every one of us the opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer.

- We Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer and find solace and inspiration in the strength of the survivors as we continue the fight.- We Remember loved ones who have fallen in their fight, at the Relay we walk side by side with people battling cancer to commiserate and find healing.- We Fight Back! By participating in the Relay we aim to raise the bar on the awareness of cancer and put an end to the disease.

Since 1966, National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) has been an active force in advancing the cancer cause in Malaysia. NCSM is the only NGO to offer a holistic range of cancer services in Malaysia at subsidized rates, or in certain cases; at no cost. Our mission is to Educate, Care and Support cancer patients in Malaysia. Through RFL, NCSM will continue to provide such services to the public as such:

Fundraising

The funds raised for RFL KL 2009 will be used for the upgrading of equipment and facilities at our Cancer Treatment Centre (CTC). This will enable NCSM to provide efficient, quality services with state-of-the-art facilities to patients.

Awareness

We hope that this event will bring about an all-encompassing awareness on cancer so that the general public understands the importance of early detection and screening to reduce the risk of cancer.It is also to bring home the point that even if one is afflicted with cancer or is caring for a cancer patient, life is still something to be celebrated.

We provide programmes to reduce cancer risks, detect cancer early, ensure proper treatment and empower people facing cancer to maintain the highest quality of life. We also facilitate post cancer treatment and support mechanisms. Through our services and campaigns such as Relay for Life we have seen many lives changed for the better.

For further details, kindly contact Clare / Elizabeth at Tel: 03-26927705 / 03 - 26987300 or email RFL@cancer.org.my.