Grüezi from Switzerland!
What a pleasure it has been hiking, biking, running, and swimming in the Swiss Alps as I clock in my #Miles4Radiotherapy.
My name is Darien Laird and I am the Director of Communications for the Global Coalition for Radiotherapy (GCR). Haven’t heard of the GCR? We are a group of global advocates working to create a world where access to quality radiotherapy is universal and equitable. Since it was founded, at the height of Covid, this multidisciplinary group has brought together global experts to address the cancer care gap through advocacy, digital innovation, responding to crises and building a collaborative community. We have also established a Radiotherapy Task Force aimed at supporting our colleagues, patients and refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine. Want to learn more or join our efforts? This global community is looking for passionate people and organizations like yourself! Find out more here.
The work to advocate for cancer patients comes from not only a desire to support our global community, but also because cancer has impacted my personal life. I found the GCR when my grandmother passed away from bowel cancer that had gone undiagnosed. Only three months prior to this, my cousin, a renowned surgeon, and accomplished athlete died after living two years with a brain tumour. After surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, he had returned to his practice to work as a surgeon for as long as his life would allow. It’s for these family members and many more who inspire my desire to work, run, hike, swim, and bike.
Every moment this summer, as I have clocked in my kilometres from a rainy mountain hike, a casual bike ride with my children or a professional trail race, I dedicated my kilometres. It is through the combined efforts of a community of professionals, politicians, advocates, and patients that we can make a difference in the world of cancer care. I am proud to represent the global community from my little corner of Switzerland with my family of six!
There is still time to donate, no matter where in the world you are. And to my colleagues clocking the kilometres alongside me… Keep going!
