Community Corner

$800 Raised to Help Build Cancer Center in Tanzania

Krupal Shah of Canton is heading to Tanzania in March 2014 to help build Moshi's first cancer center at the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

An online campaign to build a cancer treatment center in Tanzania has earned $800 in a little more than a month. 

The campaign hopes to raise $16,000.

Krupal Shah of Canton created the fundraiser on GoFundMe.com in September. The page reads: 

"We are headed to Tanzania in March 2014 to help build Moshi’s first cancer center at the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We are working with Radiating Hope, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, to fund the building of a radiation treatment facility. This nation of 42 million has a total of three radiation treatment machines; in contrast, the US has 1 machine for every 100,000 people. 

Radiation therapy is curative for diseases such as cervical cancer, the most common cancer diagnosed in Tanzanian women. Due to the lack of resources, this treatable disease claims many young lives. Radiation is also a very effective treatment to reduce suffering from advanced cancer-related symptoms such as pain, bleeding and difficulty breathing or swallowing. 

Mira is also working with Radiating Hope to coordinate the Greater Horn Oncology Symposium (GHOS) from March 25-29, 2014. GHOS is designed to raise awareness of cancer care in east Africa and features presentations by internationally renowned radiation oncologists as well as local cancer specialists. All raised funds from the symposium will go towards the cancer center. 

As a symbolic step, we will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with about 30 individuals dedicated to scaling the difficulties of accessing cancer care in the developing world."
View the fundraiser online here. 


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