World Cancer Day 2023

Saturday 4 February marks World Cancer Day which for 2023 is continuing with its three-year theme: Close the Care Gap. This year we are uniting our voices and taking action. Nationally and globally, our voices are stronger together.

At Lymphoma Action we know how important it is to work collaboratively to ensure the voice of those affected by lymphoma is heard by policy and decision makers. We are proud to work as part of the Blood Cancer Alliance, Cancer52 and One Cancer Voice to advocate for those affected by lymphoma in the UK, as well as working as part of the Lymphoma Coalition to advocate globally.

Where you live, how you identify, where you come from and what you do should not influence the care that you receive. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on cancer care across the world, exacerbating existing health inequalities. It is important that we recognise these and take tangible steps to address them collectively. For example, we are working with the Blood Cancer Alliance to determine unmet health and care needs among patients from minority ethnic backgrounds, making recommendations for policy makers and the cancer community. We also work closely with lymphoma charities across the world as part of the Lymphoma Coalition, sharing evidence, tools and initiatives, because we know that learning from each other is key.

2023 is an opportunity for us to continue advocating for those affected by lymphoma and work together to address inequalities in cancer care. To do so, it is also crucial to engage our community and supporters in everything we do, giving them a voice in the decisions that affect them.

We also want to make sure that people affected by lymphoma feel connected to one another. We have a helpline, buddies and online support meetings where people can talk about their experience of lymphoma, as well as Closed Facebook Group with over 3,000 members.

We also have a wide range of information and sources to help support people to understand the complexity of lymphoma including our website, books and information (including easy read), podcasts, webinars, videos, animations and through a range of education and training events.

We want everyone to feel empowered to make decisions about their health and care and that no one is left behind.

#WorldCancerDay #CloseTheCareGap

Published: Friday 3 February 2023