Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month Highlights Neck Checks, Free Education and Support, Special Events

08/2015

For immediate release, August 31, 2015
Media contact: Cherry Wunderlich, 301-493-8810, cwunderlich@thyca.org

Free graphics and handouts are available on our website .

While thyroid cancer is usually treatable if found early, some types and variants are aggressive and difficult to treat. In addition, people of all ages from children through seniors can get the disease, and patients need lifelong daily medication and periodic testing following treatment. These are some of many reasons why ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month each September, worldwide.

A total of 62,450 people will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2015 in the United States, and hundreds of thousands worldwide. Throughout Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, survivors, caregivers, and friends in more than 100 countries, together with collaborating organizations, will be urging everyone to:

“Find It Early” through neck checks and expert follow-up;
Help patients find a wide array of free resources and events, including online support groups, local support groups in 9 countries, and the 18th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference on October 2-4, 2015, in St. Louis, Missouri;
Underscore the urgent need for more research for new treatments and cures for all thyroid cancer.

ThyCa encourages everyone to ask for a neck check when they visit their doctor. A neck check can be done quickly.

“Awareness of our necks is essential, and so is a neck check by a healthcare professional to find small nodules,” says ThyCa Executive Director Gary Bloom, himself a thyroid cancer survivor. “This can be done very quickly and doesn’t require any special equipment, but that minute could make all the difference in the world when it comes to diagnosing thyroid cancer. Most thyroid cancer is treatable if found early, but some types are very aggressive and difficult to treat.”

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month. Among the activities already organized:

In New York City, Free Walk-in Thyroid Cancer Screenings are being provided on September 10, 2015, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital, Guggenheim Pavilion-Atrium, 1468 Madison Avenue (at 100th Street), New York, NY 10029, by the Department of Otolaryngology.
In Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, Free Thyroid Cancer Seminars are being sponsored by local ThyCa Support Groups on September 1, 8, and 15.
In Incline Village, Nevada on September 6, the Butterfly Effect 5K Benefit is being held by the Movement of Wings to raise funds for ThyCa. There will be a neck check booth available at this event.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Yolanda Roberts is presenting a Thyroid Cancer Awareness Display at the Saint Charles Senior Center
Around the world, patients, caregivers, and friends are giving out materials from ThyCa to their friends and family, as well as people in their workplaces, and community.
In Dallas, Texas, seven physicians will speak at the Free Thyroid Cancer Patient Education Day on September 26 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., hosted by the Endocrine Surgery Committee of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Worldwide, social media and e-mail campaigns will highlight thyroid cancer awareness and action.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. distributes free flyers, graphic images, and more during September as well as year-round. Founded in 1995, ThyCa is advised by 47 thyroid cancer specialists, provides free services for people with every type of thyroid cancer (papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and variants), materials in 8 languages, videos and webinars, the annual international conference, a weekly newsletter distributed to more than 65,000 people, and thyroid cancer research grants open to researchers and institutions worldwide.

For free materials, information, and connections to support groups and events, visit our website or call toll-free 877-588-7904, write to ThyCa at PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or e-mail to thyca@thyca.org.

Released by: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc.

Web site: www.thyca.org

Address: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc., PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, Toll-Free Number: 877-588-7904, Fax: 630-604-6078

E-mail: thyca@thyca.org