CAIRO: “I lost my wife to breast cancer five years ago and I want to do anything for her, said songwriter Marawan Saada, who wrote the music for the anthem of the Egyptian diaspora “Helwa ya Baladi, made famous by Dalida. After suffering the tragic loss, Saada not retreat into isolation. On the contrary, the experience made him believe that life has a deeper meaning and that some peoples’ lives depend on how much others can give of their time and effort.
“It is a pleasure for me to do anything for cancer patients, I want to help them by any means I can afford, Saada added.
Saada says the American University in Cairo’s (AUC) Anti-Cancer Team’s charity event Festival of Hope, which took place on Nov. 2, was his idea. Saada performance was followed by local band Wust El Balad.
The Festival of Hope celebrated AUC’s donation of an early breast cancer detection mammogram to Benha University s Faculty of Medicine in Kalioubeya governorate, according to Zeina Tawakol, president of AUC’s Anti-Cancer Team.
The Festival of Hope was the sequel to the Concert of Hope held in April 2007, which kicked off the fundraising campaign.
The marketing communications students who put together the event attracted sponsorship from big-name corporations whose contribution – together with the festival’s proceeds – have made possible the completion of the early breast cancer detection unit at Benha University.
Tawakol told Daily News Egypt that the Anti-Cancer Team has always been interested in helping medicine faculties, hospitals and the National Cancer Institute with anything they need for the cause.
“This time, the Benha Faculty of Medicine in Kalioubeya asked for the early breast cancer detection mammogram through an official proposal and we have managed to gather the funds for them to buy the needed mammogram, Tawakol said.
This event does not signal that the team has achieved their goal, she explained. The Anti-Cancer Team has more to do for the National Cancer Institute.
Dr Sami Al-Badawi, an oncologist, told Daily News Egypt that awareness about new cancer detecting mammograms is crucial, “people are usually very scared of anything to do with cancer.
However, according to Al-Badawi, cancer hospitals usually try to convince those who accompany cancer patients to undergo medical check-ups and tests.
“Women over 40 have the highest prevalence of breast cancer, especially if they are overweight, while the percentage of breast cancer among men hardly reaches one percent, Al-Badawi added.
For every 100,000 people in Egypt, 44 suffer from cancer, he added. The government operates eight medical centers for cancer in eight governorates.
Al-Badawi, Kalioubeya Governor Adly Hussein said they ares happy with AUC’s work. Hussein commened Dr Saada’s personal contribution in accomplishing their task.
“The First Lady is leading a national project to educate citizens about early detection of cancer that would make a significant impact in terms of decreasing the number of patients suffering and also increase awareness of the disease, Hussein told Daily News Egypt.
AUC President David Arnold emphasized the university’s commitment to serving the public. He then went on to speak candidly about his sister-in-law’s 20-year battle with breast cancer.
The festival attracted a number of celebrities, some personally driven to fight cancer.
Accompanied by his band – also called Helwa ya Baladi – an animated Saada romped through French and English standards such as “Girl from Ipanema and “La Vie en Rose in a style that merged Frank Sinatra, Charles Aznavour and Hani Shaker.
Saada penned a song especially for the event. He performed “Tender Hand accompanied by the 20-odd marketing communication students who organized the event. They took to the stage at the conclusion of Saada’s entertaining walk down memory lane.
From the music of yesterday to contemporary Egyptian pop, Wust El Balad shared the bill with Saada. They delivered their usual mix of original compositions and interpretations of Sayyed Darwish classics in an alfresco performance given in the fountain area.
The only hiccup, in what was otherwise a well-organized and successful event, was the interminable delay before Wust El Balad began, during which time the audience was force-fed a series of adverts by the sponsors. Additional reporting by Sarah Carr.
