Walk the talk and kiss breast cancer goodbye

MANILA, Philippines - A near-20,000 strong crowd of supporters recently gathered at the SM Mall of Asia open grounds to participate in Avon’s call to walk the talk against the number 1 killer of Filipino women, via the recent 2012 Manila Walk and Run event for its Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer (KGBC) campaign. 

Leading the annual Walk was Avon Philippines president and general manager Kanwar Bhutani and 2012 KGBC celebrity ambassador Sarah Lahbati. Joining them at the frontlines were fellow celebrities Alice Dixson and Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez with husband Richard Gomez, Bb Pilipinas winners led by Ms. Universe representative Janine Togonon, as well as partner representatives from GMA Network, SM, Ford Philippines, The Peninsula Manila, and the Philippine Cancer Society. 

Also in attendance were Kapuso hosts Lyn Ching-Pascual, Arnold Clavio, Susan Enriquez, Luanne Dy, and Love Añover, all of whom also hosted the event. 

This year, KGBC is celebrating its 20th anniversary worldwide; and locally, the campaign’s line-up, themed Let’s Walk the Talk, invited Filipinos to come face to face with the reality of breast cancer and spread awareness on the importance of early detection in battling this life-threatening condition. 

After awarding the top finishers of the 10k and 5k run events, Avon’s Walk for Breast Cancer commenced with warm-up exercises, followed by an invocation by Rachel Soliven, a personal testimony by breast cancer survivor Amy Tam, and a brief speech by Bhutani. Throughout the day, a KGBC Let’s Walk the Talk tent also offered free breast exams by volunteer doctors for all those present. 

“Your being here makes our stand against breast cancer stronger and more powerful,” Bhutani said, addressing KGBC’s walk and run participants.  “In the Philippines, the disease has overtaken lung cancer as the leading form of cancer, not just in women, but for both sexes — and this is one of the facts that make what we do in Avon and your participation this morning extremely relevant. Awareness remains to be everyone’s strongest weapon against breast cancer.” 
Apart from the walk and run events, Let’s Walk the Talk likewise invited Filipinos to deepen their commitment to the cause with the 20-day nationwide KGBC Let’s Walk the Talk Tour which culminates with the Davao leg. Highlighting the importance of early detection and the merits of regular breast examination, the tour offers free breast exams and educational sessions on how to do a self-breast exam; as well as opportunities to get to know the disease from the stories and experiences of survivors.