English Version

Helping by dancing

Dancer against Cancer started as an idea to do a Charity-ball-event to support the Austrian Cancer Aid.

The main idea was to share information and promote prevention support in the big and extensive field of cancer. Most of us live in a stressful, hectic daily routine and there is hardly any time left for something not scheduled. No time for taking meals – just fast food; no time for taking breaks and relaxing – Burnout Syndrome; no time for preventive medical check ups – civilization illnesses; no time for friendships – computer autism, & many more examples could be named for almost anyone of us.

Be there. Show you face. Against Cancer

Try to imagine it will be your last day, when you look into the mirror one morning. Then tell your mirror image what you have achieved so far in your life and about the things you can be proud of …

and then be glad it isn´t your last day to live and use your live to achieve something important, something you could really be proud of …

 

TICKET FOR THE

16TH DANCER AGAINST CANCER GALA 3.JUNI 2023

AVAILABLE!

Book here: Tickets

or JUST CALL US +4369914020121 OR WRITE AN EMAIL YVONNE.RUEFF@MYAID.AT

 

The Story behind Dancer against Cancer

It was 2004 when I heard that one of my friends suffered from skin cancer. She was my age. I thought „she will be alright soon. The doctors will certainly be able to cure her.“

After Christmas I was told, that there was no chance of healing for her, and after that it was only months until finally I was called that she had lost her struggle against cancer. She was a friend, a wife, a sister, a daughter and a granddaughter but most of all she was always full of joy and life. There are many reactions at such incident someone can choose: you can accept the facts in a rather paralyzed state, you can cry and weep till there is no more tear left, you can simply fall into despair, you become angry with god or you can yell and rage but: whatever you do nothing will change what has happened. Our response was: we wanted to do something – make a difference – to achieve something – a gala ball for the Austrian Cancer Aid – Dancer against Cancer was launched in October 2006.

Make a difference as well!

Dancer against Cancer is YOUR sign for helping others

and getting help YOURSELF, if needed.

Cancer doesn’t notice the colour of your gender, your skin, your age or your social standing. Dancer against Cancer is independent of gender, skin colour, age, social standing and the kind of cancer.

Please support.

 

donation account

Its time for humanity, time to be a human being – at least for this very special evening.

A new case of cancer is diagnosed every 9 seconds. This means that, since you are reading this, one new case may already have been diagnosed. By the end of our text, there could be a lot more.

Epidemiology shows that 40% of us will face cancer at some point in our lives.

A cancer diagnosis does not only affect the patient, it also affects families, friends, everyone near the patient is caught up in this tsunami.

This diagnosis is the source of many feelings and emotions. Of sadness, anxiety, anger, denial, even helplessness.

Cancer concerns all of us, in one way or another – and that is why we all need to join forces, to make a difference, especially if one looks at the stark numbers looming in the future which suggest cancer cases will double by 2035.

Please support us with your donation! It doesn’t depend on the amount of the donation but on the fact that we stick together.

Every euro counts. Our organization works on a voluntary basis and has raised over €1 million in the last 15 years.

The work of Dancer against Cancer

„Diagnosis: Cancer”: How to help families, partners, children and make psychosocial care at home possible.

– Talking to children, when either mom or dad got the diagnostic cancer:

For example: What is cancer? – Telling children:

Cancer is the name given to a disease in the cells within your body.

Let’s try to work out what that means.

If your mum or dad has cancer, the cancerous cells will probably be located in just one part of the body but sometimes they can spread to other parts of the body as well. Even though mum/dad has cancer, she/he cannot spread cancer to another person. You don’t have to worry about hugging or kissing or being close to a person who has cancer. Cancer is not a contagious disease.

Questions of children:

How could my mum do this to me?

Am I going to get cancer too?

What is everyone else going to think?

Do I have to tell other people about this?

How is this going to affect me while I am at school?

How am I supposed to cope with this?

What can I do to help?

Who can help me?

– Talking to parents, how to tell their children, that they have cancer:

Being a parent and having cancer often causes a lot of worries. It can be very difficult to find the right way to support your children. Each child copes with the situation in a different way. It may help to know there is no right way to talk to children or teenagers about cancer. The most important thing is to be honest.

Talking to children about cancer can be very difficult and upsetting. Adults sometimes try to protect children from such a situation by not discussing it with them. But even if adults don’t tell them openly what is happening, they will know inevitably, when something is seriously wrong. Involving children and leting them know, what´s going on, helps to deal with this situation.

Young children may not be emotionally developed enough to express their feelings in words. Or they may not feel comfortable about being in an unfamiliar group situation. Young children often express their feelings by playing or painting and they are often spontaneous in the way they do this.

Older children or young teenagers may be more articulate but less willing to share information. Being a teenager can be a time of emotional ups and downs. Teenagers quite often feel confused and unsure about themselves. Therefore their way of dealing with their parent´s illness can be very different to younger children. Teenagers reactions are likely more intense and it is very important to give them time to grapple with the illness.

– Leooking after children when their parents are not able to work and sustain them. Monetary and social help for children during the illness of a parent or when a parent dies

The work of Dancer against Cancer

– Psychological and social Help

Today cancer care often provides state-of-the-science biomedical treatment but fails to address the psychological and social (psychosocial) problems associated with the illness. This failure can compromise the effectiveness of health care and thereby affect the health of cancer patients adversely. Psychological and social problems created and worsened by cancer – including depression and other emotional problems; lack of information or skills needed to manage the illness; lack of transportation or other resources; and disruptions in work, school, and family life – cause additional suffering, weaken effectiveness of prescribed treatments and threaten patients‘ return to health.

Today it is not possible to deliver high-quality cancer care without using existing approaches, tools, and resources to address patients‘ psychosocial health needs. All patients with cancer and their families should accept and receive cancer care, that ensures the provision of appropriate psychosocial health services.

Cancer Care for the Patient as a whole recommends actions that oncology providers, health policy makers, educators, health insurers, health planners, researchers and research sponsors.

-Talk and inform people about prevention.

Cancer a very important issue.

In case of a chronic disease something should be done about.

As we all know cancer destroys lives and families all over the world. Each year, about 2.500.000 people are newly diagnosed with cancer in the EU, and more than 1.000.000 people die caused by this terrible disease.

I am inspired by cancer patients‘ courage and determination to fight this disease.

With commitment and engagement we can support them in their painful fight against this disease.

Each of us can make a meaningful contribution.

Each of us has to play a role: health professionals, policy makers, administrations, civil society, industry….

First of all we can help reducing the number of citizens that get cancer in the first place.

It is estimated that one third of all cancers actually preventable are.

In addition to helping prevent cancer we aim for providing clear and user friendly advice on what people can do for themselves to reduce the risk of cancer.

I am aware of the long way still to go to respond to all needs of patients of rare cancers right across Europe, and to guarantee them the same quality of care regardless of where they live and what they can afford.

This would require a co-ordinated response in areas such as research, centres of expertise, access to information, incentives for the development of orphan medicines and screening.

This would mean a decrease of half a million cancer cases a year.

I think, that all is worth it