Dubai
Every October, the UAE raises awareness about the second biggest cause of death among women in the country – breast cancer.
After lung cancer, breast cancer has the highest mortality rate, especially in the 45-59 age group, according to statistics by the Sharjah Breast Care Centre (SBCC).
Dubai Health Authority’s figures state that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. But with early detection, the survival rate for those with breast cancer rises to 98 per cent.
Through initiatives like the Pink Caravan, the UAE has taken steps to break taboos, dispel myths and provide access to screening programs for both men and women in the community.
That’s why, this October, during breast cancer awareness month, we dedicated our Facebook Reader Picture Competition to the approximately 2.6 million survivors of breast cancer in the world.
We asked our reader photographers to capture ‘Survivor’ as the competition theme. The competition was opened up to our Facebook readers, and they selected the top five winners, by liking the picture that they found best captured the theme.
Here, we present the top five winners.
Editor’s note: If you would like to participate, log on to Gulf News’ Facebook page and send in your submission for November’s Facebook Reader Picture Competition.
First Place
Gulf News reader Bharat V. Gadilkar’s photograph shows a man’s journey across Phewa Lake, in Pokhara, Nepal. He said: ‘I chose this picture for the ‘survivor’ theme because around the world, in many places, these types of traditional boats are disappearing. In some countries like Nepal, they are able to survive due to their popularity and unique designs. They come in beautiful colours and all you need to make it work, is a pair of oars.’
His picture won the competition, with 62 votes on Facebook.
Second Place
For Gulf News reader Dilna Avinash, a baby camel was the embodiment of the theme ‘survivor’. She said: ‘This baby camel was getting its feed from its mother at the Camel Fair in Pushkar, India, which occurs every year. This little camel got to stay with its mother for one more day, before mum was sold to someone and separated from her child.’
Her photograph received 44 likes on Facebook, landing her in second place.
Third Place
Gulf News reader Mohammad Esmail Mughal’s is of a child approaching her mum. He said: ‘In this picture, the child was approaching her mum, who was walking away. The point I was trying to make is - if mums fall victim to any type of cancer, their children must become survivors in this world.’
His picture garnered 41 likes, and he came in third place.
Fourth Place
In the early hours of the day, at a beach in Hulhumalé, Maldives, Gulf News reader Moiz Salim Khan took this photograph of a hermit crab making its way across the sand. He titled this photograph ‘Hiraeth’, a Welsh word, which roughly translates to ‘a homesickness for a home to which, you cannot return’. Khan said: ‘We all have our burdens to carry. Some carry themselves, some carry their families, some carry their home… these burdens become our reason to survive.’
His photograph received 32 likes on Facebook, and he came in fourth place.
Fifth Place
Gulf News reader Prasad Manathanath took this photograph from Nadukani Churam Road, on the way to Ooty, a picturesque town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
His photograph received 29 likes, landing him in fifth place.
