As a Jordanian citizen, a health equity advocate, and a breast cancer survivor; I continue to be proud of the excellent accomplishments made by the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center in the fight against cancer.

The Jordan Breast Cancer Program is a national program that was established in 2007 by a group of Jordanian visionaries led by the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and our national partners to ensure the provision and availability of high quality services for breast cancer screening and to change social behaviors associated with breast cancer by raising public awareness on the risk factors, symptoms, signs and benefits of early detection and screening, encouraging women and communities to demand early detection services, and eliminating challenges that may face women in accessing these services. JBCP has always pulled in passionate and dedicated people, and 12 years after, as I step in to the role of the director, I am struck by the engagement and commitment of our partners who eagerly continue to be involved in and support early detection at all levels.

Every year, more than 1200 Jordanian women get diagnosed by breast cancer, and at one time I was one among them. Breast cancer has touched all of us in some way - family members, colleagues and friends. JBCP is committed to doing everything possible to change that unacceptable reality, and empowering women to take informed decisions about their health focusing on maximizing efforts towards screening, early detection, and awareness.
After I received my breast cancer diagnosis, I prepared myself for the worse, luckily for the facts that I caught it early, and I got proper comprehensive care and strong support, I am today a survivor. Since then, I believed more and more in the early detection and the power of awareness, and education. Early detection is the best prevention and it really saves lives. I never want to forget what myself and many other women and men around Jordan have gone through, and as it is said “The power in people is stronger than people in power.” So together we’ll be able to make real and lasting change.

Our goal that we all want is to control cancer and prevent it, but until we achieve this, we continue on spreading awareness, improving quality of services, changing stereotypes and taboos around it, advocating for sound policies, and spreading hope.