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Tawam Hospital Screens Over 670 Women During Breast Cancer Awareness Month

One of the largest and most extensive breast cancer awareness campaigns by Tawam Hospital concludes today

"Early Detection is the Best Protection"

Al Ain, 2^nd, November, 2010: Tawam Hospital's outstanding annual breast cancer campaign has concluded for the month of October with approximately 670 women taking advantage of the program and being screened.

H.E. Saif Bader Al Qubaisi, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC ( SEHA ), the Owner/Operator of Tawam said, "I congratulate Tawam on another successful campaign. In breast cancer as in all cancers, early detection is the best protection and this outreach program helps save lives. It is one of the best programs that SEHA conducts to serve the residents of Abu Dhabi and their healthcare needs."

"We are extremely proud of our achievements this year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated staff for such an outstanding job. The breast cancer team has gone above and beyond the call of duty by organizing educational and screening activities almost on a daily basis! From the figures that we have accumulated and the feedback we received, I think we have reached almost every member of our community giving them information on breast cancer," said Mr. Gregory Schaffer, CEO, Tawam Hospital.

This year, Tawam Hospital, in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine, has once again taken the lead in promoting the early detection and treatment of breast cancer with one of the most extensive awareness campaigns ever seen in the region.

The campaign is a very successful role model for the Abu Dhabi health system. Tawam Hospital is the only fully comprehensive Oncology Referral Centre in the UAE offering a full range of services from screening, diagnostics, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and palliative care.

"What differentiates Tawam Hospital's breast cancer campaign from others is that the hospital is also attached to the necessary support services that allow for extensive and consistent follow-up of the disease throughout the year, even after screening is provided," said Ms. Janet O'Brien, Nurse Manager, Breast Care Center.

Technically, Tawam Hospital conducts breast cancer screening throughout the year; whether at the Breast Care Center or using the Mobile Mammography Van. Every October, a month dedicated to breast cancer awareness globally, Tawam Hospital launches one of the most condensed awareness campaign seen in the region - screening, and educational activities performed almost on a daily basis.

This year's activities took place in the following venues:

• Al Bawadi Mall - Al Ain

• Police Club - Al Ain

• Al Wagan Hospital - Al Ain

• Al Basra Park - Al Ain

• Al Jahli Clinic - Al Ain

• Neima Clinic - Al Ain

• Health Plus Clinic - Abu Dhabi

• Sheikh Khalifa Medical City - Abu Dhabi

• Radisson Blue Hotel - Yas Island - Abu Dhabi

• His Highness The President's Diwan- Abu Dhabi

• Family Development Foundation - Abu Dhabi

• Zayed Sport City - Abu Dhabi

• Pink Desert Drive with UAE Offroaders

• Abu Dhabi Medical Congress - ADNEC Abu Dhabi

• AL Khaladiya Mall - Abu Dhabi

• Hili Fun City- Al Ain

Tawam Hospital urges members of the Al Ain and Abu Dhabi community to attend the 'Fun Day' event that will take place at Hili Fun City in Al Ain on the 5^th of November, 2010. The event will begin at 5:00 pm and will include a full range of entertainment and family fun. Screenings, and educational sessions on breast cancer will also be provided throughout the event.

Recently, a group of breast cancer patients, survivors, their families, and staff met at one of Tawam Hospital's 'Open Day' events at the Breast Cancer Center. Felicia Tiru, a 37 year old Romanian, was diagnosed with breast cancer around February 2010; she has been receiving treatment at Tawam Hospital since then. Felicia, a certified nurse, discovered a persistent lump on her left breast while doing her monthly self breast exam. Being a nurse and very aware of her family history with breast cancer, she always made sure to conduct regular self breast checks.

"Just being female is enough to put you at risk of getting breast cancer. Unfortunately, we can not prevent this disease yet, the only hope we have is early detection - and yes, early detection can save your life. I am a nurse and when I was young, my aunt passed away from breast cancer which made me very conscious of my risk as well," said Felicia.

"My advice to all women is: we take such good care of ourselves from the outside... we have make-up, clothes, and diets. All of this does not matter if you do not know your body on the inside. Learn to love and embrace your body, be aware of every change you go through, and always listen to your gut feeling. If you feel something is wrong, go for a second, third or even a fifth consultation, until you rest assured. Also, always go straight to a specialist if possible, don't waste your time," she added.

Physicians at Tawam removed Felicia's lump (lumpectomy), she then went through different phases of chemotherapy and is now on the last stage of her radiotherapy; she will start hormone therapy by mid-November. According to Tawam Hospital, Felicia's treatment has been very successful due to the early detection of her lump.

In 2009, Tawam's October campaign conducted 470 screening mammograms, this year 670 were screened - an increase of almost 43 per cent. From January to September 2010, approximately 1608 screening mammograms were conducted. The screening was provided for women above the age of 40 living across the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

"Our goal is to offer easy access to prompt breast care and breast screening facilities with a view to early detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast disease. We have a dedicated multidisciplinary team of health care professionals including nurses, mammography technologists, radiologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and social workers," added Ms. O'Brien.

Joining Tawam Hospital's October celebrations was a group of ladies that initiated the 'Pink Hijab Day' campaign held every year on the 27^th of October. Asma El-Buri said: "Pink Hijab Day originally started in the U.S, as an educational initiative targeting the Muslim community to become more pro-active towards early breast cancer detection. We've managed to bring the campaign all the way here, to the UAE. We are teaming up with the essential support foundations, such as Tawam Hospital, to ensure that breast cancer will no longer be a taboo among Muslim women." (www.pinkhijabday.net).

Nadia Arbello, a breast cancer survivor and the founder of the 'Angles of Mercy' patient support group tied to the Sharjah based 'Friends of Cancer' association, said: "I was diagnosed with a form of cancer called Hodgkins Lymphoma which spread to my breasts. Yes, I am proud to say I am a survivor now. The desperation, anger and sadness I went through initially, helped give me the motivation to initiate Angels of Mercy. Along with three very beautiful friends, Seham Manna, Sandy Jaloudi, and Heather Baker, we managed to pave the way for cancer patients to have someone to talk to here in Al Ain or the UAE. My advice to women is: do not forget about yourself, we all get very preoccupied with our lives and forget our most essential priorities, our health and wellbeing. My advice to patients: do what ever it takes to get and feel better, do not give up, persevere - there are support systems out there that are willing to help, we are one of them."

Based on the Abu Dhabi Community Profile¹ findings prepared by the global initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Team at HAAD, Breast Cancer has been identified as the single most common cancer in the UAE for both national and non-national women, and is the second leading cause of death in women, accounting for 28 per cent of all female deaths in the UAE. The disease has a notably high incidence and a mortality rate of 44 per cent due to late diagnosis.

Tawam Hospital is part of the SEHA Health System and is owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC ( SEHA ) which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The hospital is managed by Johns Hopkins Medicine International.

- Ends -

About Tawam Hospital
Tawam Hospital in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine is a premier, 466-bed tertiary care facility located in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, one of the largest of the United Arab Emirates. Tawam serves as a regional referral center for specialized medical care and a national referral center for oncology services. Though it offers services in all specialties, the hospital is best known for its oncology, neonatal care, emergency medicine, intensive care, surgery, urology, family medicine, fertility services, neurosurgery, nephrology, pediatrics and pain management. Tawam Hospital is one of the first public hospitals to receive JCI accreditation in the UAE. Tawam Hospital is part of the SEHA HealthSystem owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company ( SEHA ) which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

About Johns Hopkins Medicine International
Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) facilitates the global development of the Johns Hopkins Medicine mission: to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care.

As the international access point to thousands of Johns Hopkins experts in medicine, nursing, public health and health care administration, JHI coordinates treatment for out-of-town patients who travel to Baltimore and for local patients with limited English proficiency. It also provides services in hospital management, health care consulting and clinical education through strategic alliances and affiliations in the Middle East, Latin America, North America, Europe and Asia.

About the SEHA HealthSystem and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC ( SEHA )
SEHA is health in Arabic. The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company - whose marketing identity is SEHA - is an independent, public joint stock company created to develop the curative activities of the public healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. The company owns and operates all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which together make up the SEHA HealthSystem. SEHA is committed to providing high quality, cost effective healthcare in a socially responsible way on par with international standards measured through accessibility, affordability, choice and satisfaction. SEHA has partnered with internationally recognized hospital managers to achieve these goals. These include Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, VAMED, Vienna Medical University and Bumrungrad International. SEHA owns and operates 12 hospitals with 2,644 beds, 62 ambulatory care, family care and urgent care centers and 2 blood banks. SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East with 16,500 doctors, nurses, ancillary care and administrative personnel in its employ. Visit our website at www.seha.ae

For media enquiries, please contact:
Sumaya Al Harrasi
Section Head , Business Development
Tawam Hospital
Tel.: +971 3 7075131 / Mobile: +971 504487831
Fax: +971 3 7075192
Email: sharrasi@tawamhospital.ae

Zeina El-Hakam
ASDA'A Burson Marsteller - Dubai
T: +971 4 33 44 550
M: +971 50 877 3400
Email: z.hakam@asdaa.com

© Press Release 2010