Wanted: Heroes to help write the book on defeating cervical cancer.
This month as passionate campaigners across the globe step up to mark World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day of Action, the Cancer Society and its partners are launching a book – but there’s a catch. The story is incomplete.
“New Zealand has an opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer. We can save countless lives and leave a powerful legacy for generations to come. That makes for an epic story with a truly brilliant ending,” says Cancer Society Chief Executive Nicola Coom.
“We know how the story starts and how we want it to end but it’s missing the middle – the part where the heroes save the day. We’re asking everyday Kiwis to join the story and help write the book on eliminating cervical cancer.”
The allegorical-like picture book The Book that Ended Cancer: A story that can only be made true by you, represents phase two of Cancer Society’s campaign in partnership with Hei Āhuru Mōwai: Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Te Tātai Hauora o Hine — National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa.
The campaign started with an open letter in August calling on Government action with three specific requests to: extend free cervical screening; fully fund an equitable Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy; and urgently increase access to the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. To date this has been signed by more than 1000 individuals and 26 organisations.
“We are pleased with the support to date, but we are ambitious to end cancer as we know it in New Zealand,” said Ms Coom. “Giving people the chance to become part of the story to end a cancer in New Zealand, is exciting and empowering.”
The names of those collected to date, plus the chorus of others collected through the new interactive site with the animated story over the coming weeks, will appear in the finished book that will be presented to the Government.
Approximately 175 New Zealanders are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and 55 people die from this disease. New Zealand has the tools to make elimination a reality. With the ability to now prevent cervical cancer through: HPV vaccination, cervical screening including the game-changing HPV self-test and early treatment of cervical cell changes, the end is so close. If all women and people with a cervix can access these three things, cervical cancer can be eliminated within our lifetime.
“Together, we can close the final chapter on cervical cancer.”
Become a hero of this story at endcervicalcancer.org.nz
For more background about New Zealand's current progress towards our elimination goal and what steps are needed to get us there check out the Briefing by Cancer Society co-authors on the Public Health Communications Centre.