Don’t let it stop you!

Oman Cancer Association’s October 31st annual walkathon has a different outlook this year as the world goes through the pandemic period. Gatherings are not permitted and parks are closed but OCA is marking the day in a unique way with important messages for cancer and COVID-19 — ‘Prevention.’

As the virtual walkathon will be held in December this year, everyone who has participated in the event any time since 2003 can participate this time wherever they are in the world by posting the memory of their walk on the social media on the October 31, 2020 with the tags - #OCA_oman, #OCA_walkathon2020 and OCA_walkathon.

and we will be conducting a virtual walkathon later. On October 31st, we are going to travel down the memory lane as we do not want people to feel that because we are unable to do that because of the pandemic. It is an opportunity to thank everyone who has helped us over the years’’, said Dr Waheed al Kharousi, Chairman of Oman Cancer Association.

The message this year is, “We have to fight COVID-19 and cancer through prevention. There is no cure for them other than prevention. In cancer we say repeated examination gives early diagnosis and cure. With Covid — social distancing, protecting oneself with mask and a healthy diet is the answer. So we have to stand together as our government has done everything for us, but we are still suffering because we as a community are not heeding what we have been asked to do.”

This year we do not have the walkathon T-shirt but appropriately OCA has come up with a mask for COVID-19 prevention.

“OCA is taking all precautions the Supreme Committee has put in place while we continue to provide mammography service with all the preventive aspects to ensure people do not contract COVID-19’’, Dr Waheed pointed out.

The Chairman of OCA said all this is to make the community realise that the cancer survivors and their families are not alone. They need to be supported. “We like to spread awareness on all cancers, but especially breast cancer because it is the number one killer for women in Oman. During the virtual walk we will have all the features we used to have during the physical walk, which means we will have children’s corner so they will realise as they grow up that cancer is not a taboo but a normal disease that can be tackled through prevention’’, Dr Waheed explained.