LIVESTRONG Global Campaign Takes off in Italy
by Brooke McMillan
The Lance Armstrong Foundation, joined by leading Italian non-governmental organizations and cancer survivors, announced the launch of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign in Italy. At the Policlinico Universitario ?Agostino Gemelli? in Rome, Lance Armstrong visited patients receiving treatment for cancer in the hospital?s oncology center. He introduced the Campaign alongside LAF’s CEO Doug Ulman; Professor Carlo Barone, MaCDirector of the Unità Operativa of Oncologia Medica at Policlinico Gemelli; oncological surgeon Prof. Paolo Magistrelli, President of the faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the Università Cattolica; and Dr. Elisabetta Iannelli, Vice President of AI.
Doug, Lance, Professor Carlo Barone and Prof. Paolo Magistrelli outside cancer hospital in Italy
?Cancer is a huge public health problem, not only for Italy but for the entire world,? said Armstrong. ?The stigma attached to cancer often leads to late diagnosis and silent suffering for millions of people. As we face the prospect of cancer becoming the leading cause of death around the globe in 2010, we believe there has never been a better time to spread the LIVESTRONG message of hope and strength in the fight against this disease across the great country of Italy this month during the Giro d?Italia.?
?In the last ten years much progress has been made in the treatment of cancer thanks to the improvement of surgical techniques and to the research that has resulted in new pharmaceutical therapies,? said Barone. ?In spite of this progress, we cannot forget that the care of cancer is the care of people. In this context the patient associations and the foundations, such as the Lance Armstrong Foundation, play the important roles of sensitization and support, but also of training and prevention.?
?We applaud the work being done in cancer centers and hospitals around Italy,? said Ulman. ?Paired with the work of organizations such as AIMaC, Europa Donna, LILT, Umberto Veronesi Foundation and others, we can make a renewed commitment to reducing the burden of cancer in Italy and breaking down the stigma and silence too often associated with the disease.?
Doug Addressing Italian Press
Following the visit to Policlinico Gemelli, Armstrong and Ulman met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Franco Frattini, to encourage an Italian commitment to the fight against cancer to be presented at the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit in August. In conjunction with the events in Rome, LIVESTRONG began airing a public service announcement on Italian national television and launched an Italian language, to engage Italian citizens in the fight against cancer.
Lance with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Franco Frattini
Read more about the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign and efforts in Italy.
Watch the Italian PSA
Photos by Liz Kreutz
