Monsoon Cup to raise funds for Pride

by New Straits Times on 26 Nov 2006 Some women, especially those in rural areas, would rather die than seek treatment for their breast cancer as they are afraid of losing their husbands.

It is misconceptions like this that Pink Ribbon Deeds (Pride), a non-governmental organisation aimed at enhancing breast cancer awareness, hopes to dispel through its involvement in the Monsoon Cup.

Pride has been selected as the official charity for the event. Proceeds from the gala dinner on Dec 2 will be used for its education and awareness programme.

Part of the proceeds will also go to the Sultan Mizan Foundation and the Darul Iman Fund.

'We want to tell people in Terengganu that we are here for them and to help them,' said Pride chairman Datin Azrene Abdullah.

'Because the Monsoon Cup is a huge event, we will use the exposure in the foreign and local media to help us promote awareness of breast cancer.

'Bear in mind that breast cancer is also an international issue,' she said after visiting patients with breast cancer at the Kuala Terengganu Hospital yesterday.

Azrene said currently one in 19 Malaysian women had breast cancer.

In the last decade, 40 per cent of Malaysian women who had breast cancer were diagnosed when they were already in the critical stage.

In Terengganu, 52 per cent of women were diagnosed in the critical stage during the same period.

She said many women failed to do breast examinations due to the lack of family support, poverty, embarrassment and, some claimed, time.

Pride was established in January 2005 and aims to enhance breast cancer awareness through education and preventive screening for early detection.

View article http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Wednesday/National/20061122082055/Article/local1_html

For information on the Monsoon Cup http://www.monsooncup.com.my