- Fahim Al Qasimi: Our society does not leave the weak, the needy, or the sick alone
- Sawsan Jaafar: The “Let’s Live” march includes representation of all segments of society
- Aisha Al-Mulla: Enhancing the impact of optimism and hope in supporting cancer patients
Sharjah: «Gulf»
Yesterday followingnoon, Saturday, the activities of the third edition of the “Let’s Live” global sports march, one of the initiatives of the Association of Friends of Cancer Patients, kicked off from Kashisha Park, Al Rahmaniyah in Sharjah, with the participation of 2,000 people and volunteers, raising the slogan “Prepare, Prepare, Let’s Live” with the aim of supporting patients morally and financially. , and to enhance willpower and hope for life, as the march will continue 24 hours a day, with many sporting, artistic, and various musical events.
A large number of schools, universities, sponsors, and various institutions between governmental and private are participating in the march this year, who are walking together carrying one message and striving towards a noble goal, in celebration of the lives of cancer survivors, and in honor of the memory of the loved ones who lost their lives because of it.
The first event of the march came with the participation of Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Head of the Department of Government Relations, and Sawsan Jaafar, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Cancer Patients Association. The march is one of its most prominent regular activities; The “Lanterns to Live” activity, in which participants, including patients, survivors, and supporters, gather together to write messages on the lanterns, and light them at night, as an expression of their sympathy and support for cancer patients and their families.
Within its program of activities, the march organizes the “Resistance and Resilience Tour”, which is an open opportunity for the public to show their ability to honor patients and survivors, and to emphasize their ability to defeat cancer and the necessity of not giving up. An expression of their role in saving the world from cancer.
In the “Round of Lights”, attendees will walk around a sports arena carrying luminous torches in celebration of life, while the “Pajamas Round” will witness the participation of the audience, dressed in pajamas in order to add more fun to the walking race, and the “Hat Tour” will welcome visitors to show their side Unruly of their personalities and having fun, they will wear outlandish clothes with unfamiliar hairstyles.
And through the “Countdown Round to the Last Round”, the participants will celebrate the voices by playing musical instruments, while the “Carnival Round” will be the last in the march activities, and it will come to celebrate life and honor those who resist cancer with courage and strength.
In his opening speech, Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi stressed the existence of a difference between places and cities designated for living, and those designated for life, saying: “This appears clearly in the Emirate of Sharjah, in which all policies, initiatives and activities intersect at one point, which is the human being and his natural right to health care, education and culture. And nourishment of thought and conscience.
He added, “This brings us back to the saying of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah:”Enough of the concrete revolution and let us turn to building the human being.” Effective health care driven by one vision, which is the consolidation of a healthy society, explaining: “This is the difference between a city for living and a city for life. In the second, a person takes precedence over everything. A person is built to complete the building, not to serve what was built before and only.”
He continued: «Today, in this march that expresses the solidarity of society with its individuals and institutions to support cancer patients by providing appropriate treatment, the vision of life is clearly evident, and the fruits of Sharjah’s cultivation are also evident through the noble motives, intentions and values that brought each of you to participate in the march to live. You are all here to say a word. One is: We are a society that does not accept to leave the weak, the needy, or the sick alone.
In turn, Sawsan Jaafar said: “In the past years, more than ten thousand people participated in a march to live, each person representing a family, an institution, an organization, or a sector, meaning that society in all its categories was represented in a march to live, and more importantly than the number of participants, is the number of lives Which was saved by providing treatment and the number of families whose lives have changed for the better.
She added, “The Walk to Live is a qualitative stop in the journey of the Friends of Cancer Patients Association, which works to enable patients to obtain treatment and access the best centers and resources to obtain the best care, and to enhance community participation and advocacy at the local and global levels.”
For her part, Aisha Al Mulla, Director of the Friends of Cancer Patients Association, revealed the details of the march program, and explained that the March to Live stems from noble values and messages to support patients, and she said: “As much as we look forward to collecting donations to help them, and ensuring that they overcome the challenges of obtaining treatment, we look forward to enhancing the impact of Optimism, hope, and sympathy support patients for their rapid response to treatment,” noting that the march program is divided into sports, artistic, and musical activities.
After listening to the opening speeches, Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Sawsan Jaafar and Aisha Al Mulla honored the march’s partners, presenting souvenirs to Crescent Petroleum, Bank of Sharjah, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Bee’ah Group, Rubu’ Qarn Foundation, and Sajaya Girls of Sharjah. The Sharjah Ladies Club, the National Network for Communication, the Qimma Volunteering Team, “This Is Not a Space” and “Saned” of the Emirates Foundation, for their valuable contribution to the success of this march.