Photo courtesy of Publicistinc.com
In the early hours of the brisk morning of Friday 6 November, more than two thousand runners of all ages participated in the first running event in Egypt dedicated to raising awareness about hearing loss, in collaboration with the private sector's Med-EL.
The 7 km long run started at 7 am after a small speech from the person who initiated the campaign, a man whose son was born with a degree of hearing loss and improved after having to undergo the procedure of cochlear implants.
The father urged the community to spread the word of awareness regarding hearing loss, which he described as being not less important than, but overshadowed immensely by other causes, like cancer awareness.
The streets of the Cairo district of Zamalek overflowed with participants enthusiastic to take part in raising awareness about hearing impairment that affects many children and newborns, causing them to be disabled for life if the problem is not detected earlier enough, particularly before the age of five.
Photo courtesy of Publicistinc.com
For the event, Med-EL took to social media power, announcing that it will donate one Egyptian pound worth of treatment for hearing impaired children, for every time the viral hash tag #esma3ny is used.
On another note, Cairo Runners are gearing up for another run this Friday, this time in collaboration with private sector's Novo Nordisk, to mark World Diabetes Day.
The run will start at 7 am in front of Almaza Garden, Heliopolis district, with the option of a 3 km distance as well as a 7 km run.
Everybody participating is encouraged to come in blue outfits, in solidarity with the cause.
Egypt ranks as the ninth country worldwide with the most cases of diabetes, a condition caused by a patient's insufficient production of insulin or inability to use it properly to regulate blood sugar levels, and is expected to be the eighth in the world by the year 2030.
The number of diabetics in the Middle East tends to increase faster than in other regions, with respective increase rates of 83 and about 50 percent, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
Cairo Runners is the leading running community in Egypt, and was one of the earliest pioneers in encouraging Egyptians to adopt a healthier, more energetic lifestyle, taking to the streets for early runs every Friday, and choosing different locations in the capital each time.
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