World Cancer Day: A day for awareness and action

Today is World Cancer Day, and the goal is to bring the whole globe together in the fight against cancer. This day aims to save lives by educating the public about cancer and by pushing for individual and collective action to kick cancer’s butt.

And it can’t happen fast enough. According to the official World Cancer Day website, 8.8 million people around the world die from cancer every year. The official count lists 4 million of those deaths as “premature,” meaning the victims died between the ages of 30 and 69.

But as we all know, age doesn’t matter a whole lot when you lose someone you love to cancer. It still hurts, and there is no such thing as a good time to lose someone you love. However, it is cruel and crushing when cancer strikes the young; we know children at this very minute who are undergoing treatment and fighting for their lives.

What we long for is the day when people at every age can live without fear of cancer – where cancer can be prevented, or at least can be easily detected and cured.

We hope. We hope. We hope.

You can do your part to make this dream a reality. First, do what you can to protect yourself and your family. Take care of yourself. Don’t drink too much. Please don’t smoke. And for heaven’s sake, make sure your sons and daughters receive the HPV vaccine.

Get recommended screenings. As we’ve said before, colonoscopies are a lot more fun than colon cancer. If you experience symptoms that indicate cancer, see your doctor. Fear is too often the enemy of early detection – and survival.

Be informed. Support policies that promote the development of new therapies and tools in the fight against cancer. Support policies that ensure people have adequate access to healthcare. Support candidates who know the importance of research and affordable care.

Today is World Cancer Day. But every day is “cancer day” for those who are battling this disease. Let’s join them and continue this fight today — and every day — until we defeat cancer once and for all.