World leading jockeys have shown their support for the Pink Caravan Ride by riding Palm Jumeirah's crescent, starting at Rixos The Palm, passing through Nasimi Beach at Atlantis The Palm, and finished up at the One&Only, The Palm.
The racing champions are supporting the pan-UAE breast cancer awareness initiative by the Friends of Cancer Patients charity, FoCP, which aims to highlight the importance of early detection of breast cancer and help dispel misconceptions about the disease.
Among international jockeys who participated in the ride on Saturday were Tadhg O'Shea, Richard Mullen, Pat Dobbs, Royston French, Sam Hitchcott, Adri de Vries, Paul Hanagan, Dane O'Neil, Harry Bentley and Oisin Murphy.
Ameera BinKaram, President of the Board of Trustees and Founding Member of FoCP and Chairperson of the Higher Organising Committee of the Pink Caravan, expressed her delight at the participation of the world's top jockeys in the ride.
"We are grateful for the support of these jockeys and thank them for dedicating a portion of their time to our initiative. This demonstrates their keen desire to use their high profile for a good cause in helping save lives and enhancing healthy life in the UAE community. I thank them for their efforts," she said.
The jockeys made several stops along the way, spreading the message of awareness about breast cancer and encouraging the public to undergo early detection examinations and dispelling myths related to the disease.
Nakheel, master developer of Palm Jumeirah, demonstrated its support by hosting the jockeys and the Pink Caravan team for a cruise around the island's waters, and by hosting health checks at the island's Al Ittihad Park.
Mobile clinics continued to see a huge turnout of visitors yesterday, the 7th day of the nation-wide awareness tour. Clinics were set up at Falaj Al Mualla Healthcare Centre in Umm Al Qaiwain, Dibba Al Hosn Healthcare Centre in the Eastern Region, the Umm Al Momineen Women's Association in Ajman, and Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.
On the 6th day, 321 women and 149 men were examined, bringing the total number of people screened so far to 3,492, of which 917 are men and 2,575 are women.
Since its inception in 2011, the Pink Caravan has sought to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer, and of highlighting the impact of the disease throughout the UAE.
The Pink Caravan efforts have greatly contributed to dispelling misconceptions related to breast cancer, and provided indispensable financial and emotional support to patients and their families, and has played a significant role in reducing breast cancer's incidence in the region, and diminishing its progress to advanced stages through free screenings that help protect the lives of citizens and residents.
The initiative has received tremendous interest from local and international organisations involved in the fight against cancer and spreading awareness of its dangers.
Source: WAM