Students learn more about cancer after foundation visits school

By Martha Deruage

GRADE Eight student Theodora Ben says she now knows more about cancer after the PNG Cancer Foundation visited Tatana Primary School, in Central, yesterday.
“We leant that bad habits like chewing betel nut, smoking cigarette and drinking alcohol cause cancer and we should avoid those habits if we want a good future,” Ben said.
Ben was among 150 teenagers who learnt about cancer through the foundation’s healthy teen school programme.
“For young people like me, the programme is very useful so we can prevent cancer now. I understand that cancer affects young people like me,” she said.
It was the second healthy teen school programme led by foundation health educator Jacob Abun involving grades 6-8 students.
PNG weightlifting champion Dika Toua, who won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, and her sister Thelma visited the school.
Toua encouraged the youngsters to eat healthy food, stay fit, exercise regularly and take part in sports.
She said the students should listen to their their parents and guardians, trust in God and be focused if they wanted to be a champion like her one day.
Headmaster Daure Gaudi said: “Cancer affects people at a young age now and if students learn about cancer at an early age, they would be able to avoid it.”