Cancer.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The mere mention of the word is enough to send a shiver down one’s spine.
And for good reason.
It is a truly insidious disease that can strike the young and the old, the healthy and the unhealthy, the rich and the poor.
In fact, the Australian Cancer Council states that one-in-two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85.
This year, there will be an estimated 134,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed, and somewhere in the order of 44,000 cancer-related deaths.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that survival rates have increased through better detection and more effective treatment.
About 66 per cent of people diagnosed with cancer in Australia will live for more than five years after their diagnosis.
But still we wait, hope and pray for a cure.
Anyone whose life has been touched by cancer – be they a sufferer, survivor, carer, relative, friend or colleague – can take heart that they are not alone.
The incredible turnout at Wagga’s annual Relay for Life event on Saturday is testament to that.
It is a credit to the organisers, and to the spirit of the Wagga community, that this event grows in significance each year.
No doubt, the event is physically and emotionally demanding. There are plenty of tears, but there is also great comfort that can be taken from knowing you are not alone in your grief.
The Daily Advertiser sincerely congratulates everyone involved.
All the best for the week ahead, Ross.