Brest Friends, in partnership with the Al Jalila Foundation, is to present the first annual Brest Friends Festival, a fun filled community event in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The festival to be held on Friday, 27th October, at Al Barsha Pond Park, and will host a series of wellness activities, a walk for hope, food trucks, a market and various entertainment bringing residents and organisations together to support a cause that affects millions of women around the world.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Abdulkareem Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer of Al Jalila Foundation, said, "With the high prevalence of breast cancer among women in the UAE, it is clear that research and improved treatment are integral to combating the disease and ultimately, saving lives. Historically there has been little medical research on breast cancer carried out locally. In line with Al Jalila Foundation’s mission to encourage home-grown talent and boost medical research, we have already invested almost AED2 million towards breast cancer research since 2014. Events like the Brest Friends Festival help us spread awareness on the importance of research and enable everyone to make a contribution to the future health of the UAE."

Brest Friends, the first breast cancer support group in the UAE, was established by Dr. Houriya Kazim, the UAE’s first female surgeon, with the mission to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer and providing a platform where patients and survivors can learn, share experiences and offer moral and emotional support to each other which has proven to be instrumental in a woman’s healing process.

Dr. Kazim said, "We have all been affected by breast cancer in some way, the Brest Friends Festival is an opportunity to bring the community together to honour breast cancer patients, survivors and remember the people we have lost. It is also a day to give hope that the disease can be beaten. As the month draws to an end, I would like to remind everyone that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to the month of October and call on the community to keep the message alive all-year round. I can not emphasise enough the importance of early detection, do not wait until October to take action."

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an international health campaign every October to increase awareness of the disease and raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.