Organisers of the Breast Care International (BCI) Ghana walk have held walking exercises through several parts of the country for the tenth year in a row.

This year's walking event at Tepa, the Ahafo Ano-North District of the Ashanti region, recorded a number of health-conscious walkers to raise awareness about breast cancer while also celebrating survivorship.

Politicians, clergy, schoolchildren, students, teachers, the government, the private sector, traditional and opinion leaders, farmers, non-governmental and civil society organizations, and friends and family from all over the world took part in the walk.

According to the organizers, the choice of Tepa was dictated by the commitment shown by the Omanhene of Tepa Traditional Council, Nana Adusei Atwenewaa Ampem I, the Queenmother and the Traditional Council, the passion of the indigenes, its strategic location, and the knowledge that cases were more prevalent in rural areas where education levels are lower.

They also considered how poverty and ignorance interact to exacerbate misconceptions about the disease's causes and treatment.

President of Breast Care International, Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Wiafe Addai, praised the annual BCI Ghana walk for the cure as having a national character and attracting individuals from all walks of life, confirming the level of awareness creation accomplished.

According to Dr. Addai, BCI will continue to rely on national acceptability to raise awareness and support the struggle against the disease that is killing people needlessly.

She stated that, BCI is banking on its long-standing friendship and relationship with the media to ensure a prolonged, successful campaign against breast cancer across the country.

"We are counting on our strong time-tested friendship and association with the media for a sustained, successful campaign against breast cancer in the country”. She said.

Dr. Wiafe reiterated, it was about time breast cancer was given the much more needed media attention after covid-19 and as the number one killer of women. If we do not shock the conscience of the public about this reality, we will wallow in self- deception and self- denial about this disturbing trend, as our women perish, even though cure exists.

“Breast cancer statistics would remain a scar on our conscience, if we do not collectively fight the condition as a National disaster, and a developmental issue. It is not only a public health issue”. She stated.

The first edition of the BCI Ghana race for the cure was held in Kumasi in 2011 and 2012, before moving to Accra in 2013.

It later took place in Sunyani in 2014, then to Takoradi in 2015, back to Kumasi in 2016, Koforidua in 2017, Tamale in 2018, and Cape Coast in 2019.

“We have never been committed more, with the 2020 figures of 4,500 cases representing 18.7% (GLOBOCAN) declared and a high mortality of 2,055 cases, breast Cancer won’t rest, so Why should we?.

We want to increase our number of survivors ten-fold in the foreseeable future, and we are keen to have majority of them this year coming to showcase Survivorship and enforce Hope."

On Saturday, October 1, 2022, the historic World Breast Cancer Day would be hosted in the same district for the first time.

This year's theme is "Breast Cancer won't Rest, So Why Should We?" based on the data that breast cancer has not given humans breathing space, there is no time to squander in developing long-term remedies.