Bedaya Centre holds breast cancer awareness session

The Bedaya Centrefor Entrepreneurship and Career Development (Bedaya Centre), a jointinitiative by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Silatech, recently held asession to raise awareness on breast cancer.The event was held inthe presence of cancer survivor Asma Bu Jassoom, in collaboration withTV anchor and ambassador of Qatar Cancer Society Asmaa al-Hammadi, atthe Market Café. The session, titled ‘Prevention … A Small Step thatGoes a Long Way’, was moderated by al-Hammadi. Jassoom spoke about herjourney with the disease and the methods of treatment that were followedto fight her battle.  Jassoom said her success encouraged her toshare her experience with the participants, spread the spirit of hope,and create awareness about the importance of early examination andscreening to avoid the disease. During the discussion, she addedthat the support of family and friends “is of paramount importance,” asthey are the ones who raise the morale of cancer patients. She said theavailability of therapy and an excellent medical team helped her fightand overcome breast cancer.“Despite the health and psychologicalstate I experienced, I found another aspect of the disease and that wasthe passion and compassion that I felt from my family and friends,”Jassoom added. She said that with psychological support, optimism,and following the guidance of a specialised medical team, cancertreatment was possible and the ability to lead a natural life afterrecovery.“The experience has taught me to look at life in a betterperspective and given me the understanding of life in a deeper meaning,”she said. Reem al-Suwaidi, general manager, Bedaya Centre, said:“Many breast cancer awareness campaigns are held globally, especially inOctober to push the community for screening and examination for earlydetection of the disease and ways to prevent it. “Therefore, we helda discussion session on this subject due to its importance and ourkeenness to contribute in spreading and raising awareness among thecommunity about breast cancer and to support the efforts led by our wisegovernment in this regard.”