Dubai: Victoria, a five-year-old Dubai-based Bulgarian girl, has become the unlikely face of a global campaign against breast cancer.
Her mother, Vanya Dobreva, who survived breast cancer thanks to early diagnosis, said it's just happenstance that Victoria and she have become part of Facebook campaign Protect Your Mom (PYM).
Debrova, 42, special educator at a special needs centre, said Victoria charmed audiences at a public gathering in Dubai when she went on stage and declared: "I will protect my mom."
PYM uses the pester power of kids to get their mums to do self-examinations which are key to early diagnosis of breast cancer.
Debrova was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2010, but she caught it early through self-examination.
"Fortunately, the cancer was at stage 2. I underwent a lumpectomy, six cycles of chemotherapy and radiation. Now I am fine."
"She lost her hair, but now it's back," said Victoria, who even at her young age is aware that breast cancer can be cured if it is detected on time.
"That's the idea behind the campaign," said Dubai-based Premi Mathew who launched PYM along with her daughter.
She said the campaign targets children for three reasons. "They grow up to be more informed adults, they can use their pester power to make their mums do a self-exam and they are usually on social media and can be reached at zero cost."
She said, "If kids can pester their parents for iPhones and BlackBerrys, why not make them pester their mums to do a self-exam?"
Mathew said the PYM Design and Win contest was started in 2011 to make mothers aware of lumps and other signs of breast cancer. The contest which is open to people in the GCC and India invites entries in the form of skits, dances, videos and posters. "We invite children to tag/share the poster on our Facebook page with all their friends."
Design and win
Entries for Round 3 of the PYM Design and Win contest are open till May 30 and Round 4 till July. Round 3 winners will get a certificate from Avon and a chance to be in the finals to win prizes including two air tickets. Submit posters or record skits, dances and songs, upload them on YouTube and send the link to pym20101@hotmail.com. For details, go to https://www.facebook.com/protectyourmom
