The fifth annual Cancervive Awareness Ride takes to the road from Thursday, 10 to Sunday, 20 September to get South African communities talking about cancer.

An entourage of more than 65 cancer survivors, supporters, media and emergency services will embark on the 2300km route, stopping over in towns to educate residents on how to detect cancer at an early stage, and how to gain access to appropriate treatment. 

SABC Education through its Raise Your Hand campaign is happy to announce its support and partnership with the 2015 Cancervive Bike Ride. The launch of the 2015 Ride takes place in Soweto on Friday, 11 September 2015 at the Isaac Morrison High School at 12:30. 

This survivor driven project uses performing arts, music, poetry, dance and storytelling to convey personal messages of survival. There are many people in South Africa that know very little to nothing about cancer. When survivors on stage share their stories a personal insight on how to identify or even prevent cancer is given. 

The group does more than just provide facts about the disease; they actively encourage conversations around it. Vital information on the various ‘shy’ cancers such as breast, prostate, testicles, cervix, ovaries and colon are shared and discussed. Communities are left better equipped to identify warning signs and care for cancer patients in their midst. 

Cancervive is a special awareness and educational project of People Living with Cancer (PLWC), an NPO founded by cancer survivors. The project is dedicated to informing people about early cancer detection, as well as offering support to people living with the disease. 

“Being diagnosed with cancer has an enormous impact on your life. We aim to make people diagnosed feel that they are not alone, and let them know that many cancers have a very high survival rate if caught early enough. We also don’t leave them without support, but connect them to Cancer Buddies, a project that assists patients and their families through diagnosis and treatment,” says Janie du Plessis, CEO of PLWC. 

Over the past four years, the Cancervive Ride entertained and educated more than 180 000 people across eight provinces in seven languages through travels over a distance of 10 000km. 

To find out more about Cancervive, visit www.cancervive.co.za or contact PLWC at www.plwc.org.za or call toll free 0800 033 337. You can also experience the highlights of the 2014 Cancervive Awareness Ride here. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook as well as on Twitter or Instagram.