Sharjah: The Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP) is utilising the ninth edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2017) to raise awareness about the issue of childhood cancer.
The non-profit organisation, which works to support cancer patients and their families, has set up a pavilion at the fair which concludes at Expo Centre Sharjah on Saturday.
The FoCP’s participation at SCRF 2017 aims to educate individuals and families on the efforts of the ‘ANA’ (‘I’) Childhood Cancer Initiative, a childhood cancer campaign that falls under its ‘Kashf’ initiative for the early detection of cancer and for promoting awareness of the disease in those under the age of 18 years.
The FoCP is showcasing a number of books and publications at its SCRF 2017 pavilion, most notably author Saleha Ghabesh’s book titled Raheeq Al Ward (Nectar Rose), illustrated by Ruth Boroz, published by the Royal Publishing House in collaboration with the ‘Wanna Read’ initiative and funded by the FoCP.
The book tells the story of Omran, a boy with cancer, and his friend Raheeq Al Ward, which symbolises the chemotherapy doses that Omran regularly undergoes. It is aimed at dispelling myths and encouraging young cancer patients and their parents to accept and engage with chemotherapy.
Dr Sawsan Al Madi, director-general of the FoCP, called on families to instill values of selflessness in youngsters and to encourage them to participate in humanitarian initiatives that seek to achieve these noble objectives.
She underlined that buying a copy of the book contributes towards meeting childhood cancer treatment costs and helps young sufferers realise that they have their community’s support in the fight against the disease.