WORLD LYMPHOMA AWARENESS DAY 2007             

What is World Lymphoma Awareness Day (WLAD)?

World Lymphoma Awareness Day is held on September 15 every year and is a day dedicated to raising awareness of lymphoma.  Launched in 2004 and now an established date in the health calendar, WLAD provides a focus for doctors, nurses, patient support groups, patients and their families to join forces in a united campaign to inform the public about lymphoma, its signs and symptoms and how it affects lives of thousands of people around the world.

WLAD is a global initiative hosted by the Lymphoma Coalition, a non-profit network organization of patient groups from around the world. It currently has 35 member groups from 29 countries.

Why have WLAD?

Despite the fact that one million people worldwide live with lymphoma and nearly 1,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every day, research shows:

• Less than 50 per cent of people know anything about this potentially life-threatening disease

• Almost three quarters (74 per cent) of people do not know that lymphoma is a form of cancer

Through raised awareness of lymphoma, people around the world will better recognize the signs and symptoms, which leads to earlier diagnosis and more timely treatment.

Greater awareness will also empower patients and their families to demand specialist treatment and care from qualified lymphoma physicians as well as gain access to the most up-to-date information, support and treatment.

WLAD also provides a platform for individual countries to address local issues, for example lobbying government for funding or access to the most effective treatments.

WLAD 2007: Know Your Nodes

This year, Lymphoma Coalition is launching the Know Your Nodes campaign for WLAD.  The campaign was created with the insight that many people don’t know about lymphoma or understand the importance of their lymphatic system. This fun and interactive campaign will help people around the world learn more about their nodes, and the lymphatic system, and most importantly the signs and symptoms of lymphoma.

You can find out more about the lymphatic system by visiting the Know Your Nodes website.