Global organisations unite to spotlight blood cancer this September

For the first time, leading global blood cancer organisations, including Australia’s Leukaemia Foundation, have joined forces for international Blood Cancer Awareness Month to fuel the global fight against the disease as incidence and mortality rates continue to climb worldwide.

With Blood Cancer Awareness Month now in its 11th year, this international approach aims to raise a collective voice and put blood cancer at the top of the agenda.

In a unique collaborative effort, the leaders from Leukaemia Foundation of Australia, Blood Cancer UK, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society US, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Canada, and Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand share their united message via a video released today.

Commencing 1 September, the [This] is Blood Cancer campaign will see public monuments around the world and within Australia glow red during the month of September as well as social media accounts using the hashtag #ThisIsBloodCancer in support for the growing number of people living by blood cancer, everywhere.

The social media awareness messaging in Australia aims to put blood cancer on the radar in the same way as other cancers such as breast cancer, melanoma and prostate cancer.

“When Australians see their local public monuments glowing and their social media floods with blood cancer awareness messaging this September, it is our hope they will pause to reflect on the more than 110,000 Australians already living with a blood cancer and 15 Australians losing their life to one every day this year and support our mission to change these statistics,” said Leukaemia Foundation CEO Chris Tanti.

Gemma Peters CEO Blood Cancer UK stated “This Blood Cancer Awareness Month, for the first time ever we’re taking our blood cancer message global, and it’s an honour to stand shoulder to shoulder with these amazing charities who share our goal. We know more than more than a million people are diagnosed with blood cancer around the world every year – yet there is still relatively low awareness of what it is, what signs and symptoms to look out for, and what steps people can take to help us beat it. We need to change this, so that people across the world understand that ‘this is blood cancer’.”

Ms Tanti continued “For the past 46 years the Leukaemia Foundation in Australia has been attacking every blood cancer, from every direction, in every way we can. However, the incidence of blood cancer continues to grow, in the past 10 years alone we’ve seen a 40% increase in blood cancer diagnosis for Australians of all ages. And unfortunately, we’re not alone. Blood cancer is on the rise around the world and that’s why we’ve joined forces to really amplify our voices and activate our communities to help spread the word – fast in Blood Cancer Awareness Month”

Australia’s blood cancer community has set a bold vision to see zero lives lost to blood cancer by 2035. As Blood Cancer Awareness Month commences, Australia’s first Blood Cancer Taskforce will be meeting with Federal Parliamentary leaders on 2 September to reinforce the need for urgent action on the National Strategic Action Plan for Blood Cancer which is a key driver to achieving this vision.

For more information about [This] is Blood Cancer please visit www.leukaemia.org.au/bloodcancermonth or to view the full list of monuments lighting up red in support of Blood Cancer Awareness Month here.