February 4, 2015 | 3 minute read

Here at AICR, we’re only too aware that behind the statistics – the millions of cancers occurring each year around the globe – there are human lives. Each of those lives tells a unique story.

They’re stories of brave individuals and concerned families. Stories of tireless caregivers and compassionate doctors. Stories of researchers working to make the kind of discoveries that will produce breakthroughs in cancer prevention, treatment and survival. And stories of policy makers and health educators, striving to combat this disease in ways that stand to benefit the world at large.

Most of us have our own stories that help shape the lens through which we view cancer.   My aunt never once used the actual word when she had a recurrence of breast cancer that spread to her bones after an 8 year period of being all clear. She was from a generation that didn’t make a lot of fuss.

World Cancer Day is an annual event sponsored by the Union of International Cancer Control (UICC). Every World Cancer Day, in concert with our colleagues in the World Cancer Research Fund network and other international organizations, we at AICR set time aside to tell still another story – one of empowerment, and hope: You can take steps to lower your cancer risk. Every year, nearly half of the cancers now occurring in the U.S. don’t have to happen

And I am from a generation that does make a lot of fuss.  We know this story still needs to be told. The latest numbers from our new Cancer Risk Awareness Survey show that most Americans haven’t heard the vital message about the simple changes that protect against cancer. That’s why we’re launching our website, prevent50.org, campaign and social media strategy; it’s all part of a coordinated initiative to reach new people with practical information that could prevent nearly 340,000 U.S. each year.

Please take a moment to help us tell this story today. Share the website and public service announcement with your social media circles, using the #prevent50 hashtag. Tweet one of our infographics, such as our 10 Recommendations, below. Send an e-card to a friend. Encourage friends to take our quizzes, and try our recipes.

And remember — World Cancer Day is only the beginning of Cancer Prevention Month, here in the U.S. Check back here at the AICR blog for updates – we’ve got many more stories to tell.

Deirdre McGinley-Gieser is AICR’s Vice-President for Programs. You can also follow her on Twitter at @DMG_AICR.