Las Palmas Joins #laMquefalta Campaign: A Stand for Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness
Gather ’round, folks! Grab your fancy lattes, and let’s talk about how Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is making waves in the world of breast cancer awareness. Yes, we are diving deep into a very serious issue – metastatic breast cancer – with a dash of humor because, let’s face it, that’s how we cope, right?
The Stars of the Show
On this illustrious day, the mayor of the city, Carolina Darias, strutted her stuff alongside a cast of city officials. I mean, if you’re going to raise awareness about a serious health issue, might as well dress the part. Together with big names from the Spanish Metastatic Breast Cancer Association and pharmaceutical powerhouses like Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca, they launched a stand in the Plaza de La Puntilla. It’s like a sitcom cast gathering for a reunion, except better because they’re tackling a cause that matters.
#laMquefalta: The Hashtag That’s Here to Stay
What’s the scoop? Well, this campaign isn’t just about looking pretty. It’s about raising awareness for metastatic breast cancer and getting people involved. Between now and October 19, which just happens to be World Breast Cancer Day, citizens are encouraged to snap photos and share them on social media using the hashtags #laMquefalta and #CáncerDeMamaMetastásico. Let’s make it trend harder than your teenage crush’s mixtape!
What’s with the M?
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – or rather, the missing ‘M’! In a brilliant stroke of awareness, Las Palmas will temporarily ‘lose’ the letter M from its emblematic posters. Sounds like a bad spelling bee, right? But it’s actually a powerful statement about the visibility of metastatic breast cancer. This simple act signifies how this stage of cancer is often overlooked. Talk about pulling on the heartstrings…
What the Mayor Said (And It Wasn’t Just Fluff)
Mayor Darias didn’t just show up for the cameras. She emphasized that Las Palmas is committed to being a city that cares about health. “We want those who have some illness to feel close to us.” It’s like your trendy friend trying to convince everyone to go vegan – only this time, it’s genuinely heartfelt and not about gluten-free muffins.
The Real MVPs: Patients and Advocates
Let’s not beat around the bush: the real heroes are those battling metastatic breast cancer. Yolanda León, who spoke on behalf of the Spanish Metastatic Breast Cancer Association, shared heartfelt thanks to the city council and laboratories. She nailed it when she said, “We are not hopeless; we need time, we need quality of life, and a lot of research.” If that doesn’t make you want to hop on board this campaign, I don’t know what will!
The Importance of Awareness
Breast cancer doesn’t just play fair; it can reach the metastatic stage when it leaps to other areas of the body — like an unwelcome guest who just won’t leave. It’s a complicated case for scientists, much like trying to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions. And while we chuckle at the absurdity, it’s essential to recognize the seriousness of this condition.
Conclusion: Why This Matters
As we laugh, talk, and snap pictures in the plaza, let’s remember: awareness can save lives. By transforming social media posts into powerful statements, we’re helping to cast a light on an often-dimmed section of health. So, let’s get out there, flaunt those hashtags, and make some noise for metastatic breast cancer awareness! Las Palmas is taking a stand, and they’re not mincing words—nor letters, for that matter!
The city joins the #laMquefalta campaign with an information point about this pathology in the Plaza de La Puntilla
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Friday, October 11, 2024. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria joins the #laMquefalta campaign, promoted by the Spanish Metastatic Breast Cancer Association and the Daiichi Sankyo alliance | AstraZeneca, with the aim of raising awareness about metastatic breast cancer.
This Friday, the mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carolina Darias, together with the councilor of Ciudad del Mar and first deputy mayor, Pedro Quevedo; the Councilor for Social and Healthy Welfare, Carmen Luz Vargas; the representative of the Spanish Metastatic Breast Cancer Association and metastatic cancer patient, Yolanda León; the director of Government Affairs of Daiichi Sankyo Spain, Fátima Sáenz; and AstraZeneca’s Regional Access Manager, Ana Fernández, inaugurated a stand in the Plaza de La Puntilla.
In this space, which will be installed until October 19, World Breast Cancer Day; Citizens will be able to learn about the campaign and join it by sharing photographs on social networks with the hashtags #laMquefalta and #CáncerDeMamaMetastásico. In addition, next Wednesday, October 13, the date on which World Metastatic Breast Cancer Day is commemorated, the city will recover the M, which will be pink to raise awareness about the disease.
“The month of October is a month of awareness for patients with breast cancer, especially we are here to make visible and to recognize the great effort made mainly by those who suffer from metastatic cancer and so that they feel the support of public administrations” , highlighted the mayor before the media.
Darias pointed out that “Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a city committed to health, we want to be an increasingly healthy city but we also want those who have some type of illness to feel close to us, feel that they can count on us and that is why we are leaving. to add to the cities that we ‘donate’ the M for a few days so that that M goes to #theMquemissing for patients with metastatic breast cancer.”
For his part, the councilor for Ciudad de Mar, Tourism and Local Development, Pedro Quevedo, highlighted “the importance of our city joining this campaign and contributing to the visibility and awareness of this disease, using an emblematic place and “Thousands of people, residents and tourists pass through it every day, such as Avenida de Las Canteras, specifically, Plaza de la Puntilla.”
Yolanda León, representative of the Spanish Metastatic Breast Cancer Association, declared: “We appreciate the support we have had from the City Council and the laboratories to be here, so that we can be seen. We are not hopeless, we need time, we need quality of life during that time and a lot of research.”
Along with cities like Madrid and Malaga, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria temporarily ‘loses’ the letter M on its emblematic posters to make metastatic breast cancer visible, an advanced phase of the disease that occurs when the cancer spreads to other parts of the body. The movement invites citizens, companies and institutions to eliminate the letter M from their publications on social networks, replacing it with a low bar, thus symbolizing the lack of visibility that this stage of cancer receives.
Breast cancer reaches the metastatic stage when it spreads to other areas of the body, beyond the breast. This type of cancer continues to represent a great challenge for science, due to the variety of its clinical manifestations, since metastasis can affect organs such as the bones, liver, brain or lungs.
