What do Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Douglas, Matt Damon and Robert Pattinson have in common? How about Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, and Tim McGraw? Aside from being celebrities, they also helped create awareness and raise funds for cancer research and treatment. They and other celebrities and athletes were involved in the 3rd Stand Up to Cancer telethon on September 14, 2012. And many of them have personal experiences with cancer or have close relatives who had it.
Cancer is a serious disease. In the U.S., 1,600 Americans die of cancer every single day. One in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. And according to Roberts, “Cancer kills a child every 4 hours”.
The statistics in the Philippines are bad also. In fact, it is rare for anybody not to have a family member, a friend or a colleague who wasn’t treated for or died from cancer.
Nevertheless, due to the continuing support of many individuals and corporations for Stand Up to Cancer and other organizations, newer innovative treatment modalities to improve the quality of life and survival of cancer patients became reality.