#おもいをつなぐ RFTC Japan理事長からのメッセージ

#おもいをつなぐ　A Message from Vickie

【メッセージ内容】

Hello, my name is Vickie Paradise Green, and I am the chairperson and Founder of Run for the Cure Foundation.

We are a 17-year NPO based in Tokyo.

Our mission is to eradicate breast cancer in Japan as a life-threatening disease for both Japanese women and men.

So, how do we fulfill our mission of bringing breast cancer awareness to Japan?

One thing we do is we publish a magazine called PiNK.

We produce it quarterly, and have been doing that since 2007.

Thus far, we have produced and distributed 740,000 copies to individuals, hospitals, libraries, and companies.

We also provide breast cancer seminars.

These are important for both men and women to learn about the importance of self-examination and annual mammograms.

We have been doing these seminars since 2013.

We have had more than 6,000 participants at over 200 seminars.

So why did I start this Foundation?

I am a 19-year breast cancer survivor.

I returned to the United States for my surgery and treatment, and when I returned to Japan, I wondered what was available for Japanese women in Japanese language, and found virtually nothing.

Fortunately, I am the owner of a creative digital agency, so I said to my staffs that I wanted to start a Foundation, we need a logo, and we need a website.

That was 17 years ago.

This Foundation, RFTC Japan, has helped many women and some men.

Now I would like to read you a few statistics about breast cancer in Japan that I think may shock you.

Breast cancer is the number one diagnosed cancer in Japan for women between the ages of 25 and 55.

1 in 9 Japanese women will be affected in their lifetime.

Over 91,000 women have been affected annually; 250 women daily.

Almost 15,000 people died in 2019 from breast cancer.

RFTC Japan is able to keep its doors open because of our fundraisers, Pink Ball, Casino Night, Run for the Cure/ Walk for Life, all of which would not be possible without the incredible help of our volunteers and our supporters.

I would like to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you have done for this Foundation over the last 17 years.

We have all struggled in this year of COVID19, as I am sure each of you have.

Charitable donations are few and far between during this time, and we are finding it difficult to continue our work because we haven’t had a fundraiser in nearly a year.

We will of course do everything we can to make sure that RFTC Japan continues, and that we continue in our mission to help Japanese women and men survive a survivable disease if caught early enough.

I am asking today if you can please help us.

The smallest donation is not too small.

Anything will help us to keep our doors open as we continue to pursue our mission.

Breast cancer does not discriminate.

It affects anyone at any age at anytime at any gender.

With your help, we can stop the dying.

I would like to take a moment to thank you now for listening to this video.

I hope you found it informative about breast cancer and the work of RFTC Japan.

In this year of COVID and beyond, we would appreciate your ongoing support.

Thank you very much.

このプロジェクトで実現したいこと

① 『PiNK』 2021年冬号の発行・配布

『PiNK』は、乳がんに関するトピックへの理解を深めるコンテンツ、乳がんを経験された方や支援してくださっている多方面の方々にスポットを当て、彼らの魅力に迫るコンテンツを掲載しています。

雑誌の多くは病院や図書館などの公共機関に設置されており、多数の方が手に取られます。また、個人の定期購読者の中には乳がん経験者であったり、ご家族や知人が乳がんの治療をしているという方も多くいらっしゃいます。

財源不足のためPiNK2020年夏号の印刷を中止しオンライン版のみを提供するかたちとなり、2020年秋号は発行自体を断念をせざるを得ない状況となりましたが、12月末に発行する2021年冬号は、ぜひ雑誌を印刷して皆様の手にお届けしたいです。

『PiNK』の記事は、寄稿または当団体のスタッフやボランティアによる執筆と編集をしていますが、デザインと編集費・印刷費・雑誌の送料に対して力をお貸しください。

②　乳がんセミナー『Hana-me』のオンラインリニューアル

乳がんセミナー『Hana-me』は、活動開始から多くの方にご参加いただき、昨年は日本各地の38の企業・学校・自治体で1,280名の方にセミナーをお届けしました。

今年は新コロナ感染症の影響によるリスクを考え、会場でのセミナーは全面的に中止しましたが、コンテンツをオンライン化し、新しいかたちでより多くの方に「役に立つ乳がんの情報」をお届けできるよう力をお貸しください。

#おもいをつなぐ

今はコロナ禍という大変な状況にいますが、「役に立つ乳がん情報」を提供し続けることは非常に重要なことだと考えます。なぜなら「乳がん」という病は、時と人を選ばないからです。

日本女性のがん罹患者率の第1位は、乳がんです。現在では年間に91,000名以上の女性が乳がんに罹患していますが、乳がん検診率が約44%程度と非常に低いのが現状です。また、乳がん患者の1%は男性ですが未だに周知や理解が進まず発見が遅れたり、偏見に苦しむ男性患者も多くいらっしゃいます。

教育・啓発活動を通して乳がんの正しい知識と認知を向上させることが、命を救うことに繋がります。どうか、私たちが『PiNK』と『Hana-me』を通して、「役に立つ乳がん情報」をひとりでも多くの方に届け続けることができるようお力添えをどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。