UT Bank rounds off Breast Cancer Campaign with a Ball

Accra , Nov. 18, GNA -UT Bank has held its annual Pink Ball to round off its funds raising and breast cancer campaign for 2012.   The campaign is aimed at creating awareness about the diseases among men and women.   The Pledge Pink Campaign was instituted by UT Bank three years ago to coincide with the global commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness every October to support organisations such as the Cancer Society of Ghana and other partners to bridge the information gap and dispel misconceptions about the disease through awareness creation.   Breast Cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women, claiming almost half a million lives every year.   Studies indicate that about six per cent of Ghanaian women diagnosed with breast cancer have the most aggressive triple negative type, which put them at greater risk.   Statistics have shown that out of every eight women, one is diagnosed of breast cancer while one dies every three minute of the disease- and nearly 2,000 men are diagnosed each year of the disease.   Women diagnosed with the disease are below the ages of 50 with 11 per cent having a positive family history of the cancer.   In Ghana, 50 per cent of citizens report to hospitals at advanced stages of the disease and on the average report eight months or more after first noticing a change in their breasts.   Mrs Pearl Esua Mensah, Deputy Managing Director UT Bank, said this year’s campaign aimed to raise GH¢ 150,000 to complete the payment of a mobile van use to diagnose the disease as well as to continue with the promotion of public awareness of the disease.   The van would allow the Cancer Society of Ghana to undertake educational promotion programmes and screening exercise in villages and remotest parts of the country.   She noted that the mobile unit would provide easy access to disadvantaged women and men nationwide, to increase the chance of detecting the disease at the early stages to facilitate its successful treatment.   Mrs Esua Mensah said through the campaign UT Bank had been able to raise $140,000 in the last two years, which enable the total treatment of 23 patients while 80 are currently undergoing treatment.   She said the aim is to reduce the spread of breast cancer to an appreciable level, adding that UT Bank’s motivation is to help save lives.   The campaign is one of UT bank's flagship social intervention projects and activities such as Walk and a Pink Ball lined up to create public awareness and generate funds to support the bank's breast cancer project.   Mrs Zara Neequaye, Co-ordinator of the programme at UT Bank, said the company hoped to provide cure at the early stage of cancer.   The campaign saw the bank’s staff organised a health walk through some principal streets of Accra to distribute information leaflets on breast cancer to raise awareness.   GNA... Read Full Story