X Means Love : A Campaign to Raise Cervical Cancer Awareness

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Cervical cancer claims lives in an alarming rate! Not everyone knows that it can be prevented, and the discovery of the cancer only normally occurs at a stage when it is already at its worst.

We really need to run a campaign to raise the awareness of the people especially the women who are the most number of affected by the cancer.

I have heard of a few of my relatives that died of this dreaded cervical cancer so I am in full support of all campaigns that would aggressively inform people of how to fight it.

GSK, in partnership with ABS-CBN Foundation, BayaniJuan, and local medical societies, Bravehearts and Healthway, launches new campaign to raise cervical cancer awareness.

A new campaign was recently launched to increase awareness of cervical cancer that claims the lives of many Filipino women . Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the country, with an estimated 4,800 mothers, daughters, wives, and girl friends diagnosed each year. Every day, there are 12 Filipino women who die from this disease1, which is preventable through regular screening and vaccination.

Jenine Desiderio, along with her daughter, is just one of he ambassadors for the "X Means Love" campaign

Ginger Conejero, news reporter of ABS-CBN,  also helps in the awareness campaign to help fight Cervical Cancer

Marie Lozano, another news reporter from ABS-CBN, is among the beautiful and smart ambassadors of the "X Means Love" campaign

Together, let's breathe a  new meaning to X.

Cervical cancer is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), most commonly spread through sexual contact. It may lay undetected for as long as 10 years as women infected with HPV may show no signs and symptoms. At this very moment, an estimated 10,000 to 25,000 women are said to be undiagnosed cases.

The good news is that cervical cancer can be prevented through regular medical consultation, screening and vaccination, which may reduce the risk by as much as 94%. Locally, HPV vaccines may be administered as early as the age of 9, which may prevent Filipino women from being part of the alarming statistics that report 270,000 cervical cancer deaths per year worldwide.

To raise awareness about the need for protection, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) partnered with the ABS-CBN Foundation to encourage more Filipino women to protect themselves against cervical cancer. Their efforts were applauded, supported and joined by various medical and non – medical organizations such as the Bravehearts Coalition of the Philippines, Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of the Philippines (POGS), Society of Gynecologic Oncology of the Philippines (SGOP), Cervical Cancer Association of the Philippines (CECAP), Philippine SocietyAsia Oceana Research Institute for Gynecological Infection and Neoplasia (AOGIN), and Healthway Medical. This collaboration has resulted in a media campaign that seeks to spread the word about the disease and the powerful impact of prevention.

The X Means Love event was held at Relish Restaurant located at Tomas Morato in Quezon City.

 

Many individuals and groups join the fight against cervical cancer!

 
Lending their voice to this urgent call to action are popular female personalities who show their whole-hearted support for this campaign called X Means Love. The advocacy aims to reach out to Filipino women and their families, to encourage preventive measures against cervical cancer.

Actress, singer and host Toni Gonzaga leads the campaign, together with mother-and-daughter tandem Janella Salvador and Janine Desiderio, and TV news correspondents Ginger Conejero and Marie Lozano took time off from their busy schedules to talk about the importance of cervical cancer prevention, which empowers the women of today to fight this killer cancer.

The symbolic X on their arms illustrates the need to cross out cervical cancer as a health threat, not only to themselves, but to their families, friends and loved ones too. The campaign seeks to show that, for more Filipino women , cervical cancer prevention means showing love for family, friends, and self so that they may live life to the fullest without having to worry about cervical cancer.

Attached are some more photos from the event. Please see below a captioned short description of the photos.

GlaxoSmithKline President and General Manager Francis del Val gives a talk about the advocacy X Means Love.

X Means Love advocates Marie Lozano, Ginger Coronejo, and Jenine Desiderio, with Francis del Val (GSK's President and General Manager - Pharmaceutical Philippines).

X Means Love advocates with the GSK Philippines Family and Bravehearts Coalition of the Philippines.

From left to right: Eric King (GSK's Head of Procurement and Admin Services), Anna Leah Favia (Senior Product Manager), Dr. Carmen Nievera (Infectious Disease Specialist and GSK's Associate Medical Director), Catherine Babao (GSK's Corporate Communications Manager), Abbygale Arenas - de Leon (Bravehearts Coalition of the Philippines President), Kristel Guce (GSK's Senior Product Manager), Marie Lozano (ABS-CBN's New Reporter and X Means Love Advocate), Ginger Coronejo (ABS-CBN's News Reporter and X Means Love Advocate), Loreanne Villanueva (GSK's Marketing Manager), Jenine Desiderio (Celebrity, X Means Love Advocate), Glendale Binalla (GSK's Commercial Program Office for Adult Vaccines), Francis del Val (GSK's President and General Manager - Pharmaceutical Philippines), Atty. Mailyn Ocampo (GSK's Director for Legal and External Affairs).

 I join the fight against cervical cancer !