Kick the summer off by celebrating National Cancer Survivorship Day, which continues to be recognized throughout the month of June. National Men’s Health Week also falls in June, raising awareness for men’s health and wellness. Begin your summer by recognizing cancer survivorship and becoming an advocate for men’s health!
Cancer Survivorship Day
There are close to 14 million cancer survivors in the United States [i]. The physical, emotional and financial burdens of this disease can leave a lasting impact on those diagnosed with cancer. National Cancer Survivorship Day is dedicated to celebrating survivorship, inspiring those recently diagnosed and providing a supportive community to those affected by cancer and their families [ii]. Every year, National Cancer Survivorship Day is the first Sunday in June. Awareness events are celebrated throughout the month of June. How can you get involved and join this movement?
1. Visit the National Cancer Society’s Website for information, resources and education on how to stay healthy after treatment [iii] 2. Read articles about cancer survivorship in the journal The Oncologist and educate yourself and others about life after cancer [i] 3. Spread awareness on social media! Use #SurvivorsAdvocate and #CelebrateSurvivorship to share your story or your support [iv]
National Men’s Health Week
Did you know in the United States men on average live 5 years less than women [v]? The week of June 10th-16th marks National Men’s Health Week this year [vi]. This week and continued awareness efforts throughout the month aim to encourage early detection and treatment of disease in men. National Men’s Health Week is also dedicated to encouraging screening and increasing awareness of preventable health problems that men face [vii]. Get involved and promote men’s health by:
1. Wearing blue on June 14th for Wear Blue Friday to support men’s health efforts. Use the hashtag #ShowUsYourBlue on social media to share your photos [vi]
2. Educating others on men’s health initiatives using the Men’s Health Month Social Media Toolkit [vi]
3. Learning more about age appropriate health screenings for men and women in this checklist from Men’s Health Network [vii]
4. Testing your men’s health knowledge by taking this quiz from Men’s Health Forum [viii]
References
[i] Cancer Survivor Month. Retrieved from: http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/site/misc/CancerSurvivor.xhtml[ii] National Cancer Survivors Day. Retrieved from: https://www.ncsd.org
[iii] National Cancer Survivors Day. Retrieved from: https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/special-coverage/national-cancer-survivors-day.html
[iv] June is National Cancer Survivor Month. Retrieved from: https://aacr.org/AdvocacyPolicy/SurvivorPatientAdvocacy/Pages/national-cancer-survivor-month.aspx?utm_source=ncsm_lp&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=ncsm19
[v] Mortality by Sex and Race. Retrieved from: http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/mortalitysexrace.pdf
[vi] National Men’s Health Week. Retrieved from: https://www.menshealthmonth.org/week.html
[vii] June is National Men’s Health Month. Retrieved from: https://healthinsight.org/news-articles/903-june-is-national-men-s-health-month
[viii] Men’s Health Week. Retrieved from: https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/mhw
