Al Jalila Foundation, the global healthcare philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives, partnered with Elli Junior, the One-Stop-Parenting-Shop with charity at heart, and Brest Friends, a breast cancer support group, to organise Elli Junior’s Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Event.
The Dubai home grown brand puts together a spectacular annual event to highlight the importance of getting checked and the significance of early detection. This year, it was held at Galeries Lafayette Dubai Mall. A list of the top Influencers and Business Women in the UAE were in attendance to show their support for a good cause. Elli Junior will be donating 5% of all sales from their “Pink Collection” during the month of October, as well as selling raffle tickets with all proceeds going to Al Jalila Foundation.
Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer at Al Jalila Foundation said: “Every year during October our #PINKtober campaign, in partnership with Brest Friends, receives overwhelming support from schools, corporates, retailers, sports clubs and community-led organisations to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer treatment and research in the UAE. #PINKtober events have the power to bring communities together to champion important causes and we are proud of our partners’ extraordinary efforts to make a difference to the lives of women affected by breast cancer.”
Elli Kasbi, founder of Elli Junior said: “We are very proud to announce that Elli Junior has now secured a licence to raise funds for breast cancer research to support Al Jalila Foundation and Brest Friends. Our brand is committed to being a community leader, and to continuously drive our commitment to support good causes. We are proud to be a part of “Pinktober” in partnership with Al Jalila Foundation and Brest Friends to raise money for breast cancer research.”
According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and approximately 1.4 million women worldwide are diagnosed each year. In the UAE, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and studies show the average age of diagnoses is 10 years younger than elsewhere in the world. These statistics reaffirm the critical need to continuously support breast cancer research to keep up with the latest advances in treatment to save patients’ lives. The cost for breast cancer treatment is very expensive and often patients’ medical insurance is insufficient.
Cancer Survivors Speak
Speaking at the event Natalia Hassanie, mother of 3 who was first diagnosed in 2013, and uses her experience to share positivity said “It is important to live life to the fullest while you are alive and live mindfully.”
While Maruf Azimov, a male model who took the title of Mr. Dubai in 2019 and is one of the few male breast cancer survivors said “despite all the difficulties, faith, love, and support helped me get through it all. I still get routine check-ups every 6 months to monitor my condition.”
During the event, experts from Nightingale Health Services was on hand to show the ladies how to perform self-examinations and chat about the importance of regular check-ups.
