CANCER CENTER NEWS
2nd Annual Oral Cancer Foundation Walk for Awareness
On Sunday , September 9 , participants and organizers of the 2nd Annual Oral Cancer Foundation ( OCF ) Walk for Awareness raised $ 20,000 for the organization . Event organizer Joanne Ebesu became an advocate for this cause afer being diagnosed with tongue cancer in April 2016 . As a non-smoker and rare alcohol consumer , she was devastated and shocked to learn her diagnosis . Oral cancer is aggressive and kills roughly one person every hour of every day . While tobacco use and alcohol use are still primary causes of oral cancer , Human Papilloma Virus ( HPV ) is a growing cause of this disease in patients under 50 .
UH Cancer Center employees and their families smiling after completing the Susan G . Komen Race for the Cure 10K and 5K events .
During Ebesu ’ s recovery from major surgery and radiation , she learned about the Oral Cancer Foundation ( OCF ). OCF is a small national non-proft , public service charity dedicated to save lives through increasing education , research , and early detection of oral cancer . Ebesu organized the walk to make a diference .
Te event was held in partnership with the UH Cancer Center , John A . Burns School of Medicine and Hawai ‘ i Dental Hygienists ’ Association at the UH Mānoa Campus Center in honor of oral cancer patients and survivors . Medical and dental professionals from Te Queen ’ s Medical Center ’ s Head and Neck Institute and Dental Clinic and other dental practices provided free oral cancer screenings to participants and the public .
UH Cancer Center staf member Crissy Kawamoto reports for bussing duty at the Run for Hope weekend ’ s “ Taste of Hawai ’ i Island Dinner ” on September 7 . Each year Cancer Center staf and friends support the Four Seasons Hualālai ’ s fundraising events for cancer research .
Shelle Santoki of the UH Cancer Center engaged a kupuna at the 34th Annual Hawaii Seniors ’ Fair at the Blaisdell Center in September . Over 20,000 people attended this event ! Over 3,200 pieces of educational material from the National Cancer Institute and the UH Cancer Center were disseminated ! Mahalo to Good Life Expo Inc . for sponsoring the Cancer Center booth !
Participants at the 2nd Annual Oral Cancer Foundation Walk for Awareness .
Left to right : Speakers Michael Ling , MD , Sandra A . Dreike , MS , CGC , Howard Jung , MD , Clayton Chong , MD , MPH , and Charles Kim , MD at the 5th Annual Prostate Cancer Forum on September 19 .
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