It’s been a busy March for leading underwear and home-wear brand Cottonil, as they pack months of achievements and CSR work into a single month.

On Wednesday, Cottonil launched their “Be Sure” campaign. The campaign aims to promote prostate cancer awareness by encouraging early detection and screenings, which could prevent the cancer from spreading and becoming fatal.

According to Dr. Mohamed Kelany, Lecturer of Clinical Oncology at Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, “Latest statistics have shown that prostate cancer is the fourth most serious type of cancer in Egypt and the world, and that more than 9% of Egypt’s population is in the age group of men most at risk.”

“65% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer, either do not receive the treatment needed or are examined at a later stage, reducing the chance of cure and resulting in a greater number of deaths, many of which could have been prevented.”

Prostate Cancer in Egypt

As one of the most common cancers that are affecting men worldwide, it is important for many men to understand why it is so important to get checkups.

Prostate cancer happens when cells within the male prostate grows uncontrollably, the prostate being one part of the male anatomy that helps in making semen. When the tumor grows, although symptoms may not occur at all, some symptoms are troubles urinating, decreased force in stream of urine, blood in urine, and bone pain.

Although Prostate Cancer has a high chance of being manageable, there is a high morality rate.

At its early stages, the cancer is manageable through medication or even surgery; but as with all cancers, the longer it takes for treatment, the higher the rates of mortality.

Early detection is proven to save lives and is a more noninvasive and inexpensive way of keeping prostate cancer at bay. Detection is available through the PSA test, which tests the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in a man’s blood. Unfortunately, most Egyptians either do not know about the easy-to take test or are afraid to take it.

Prof Hesham Badaway, Head of Urology Department Cairo University (2017) stated in 2017 that “there is a lack of knowledge and awareness of the disease in Egypt, and thus, men are often diagnosed in the late stages of the disease. This is particularly frustrating as prostate cancer has a high potential for a complete cure if it is diagnosed early. We would like to see the level of awareness increase, with men in the risk group making proactive visits to the doctor.”

This is due to a lack of awareness about the disease, as well as a cultural stigma of discussing it with others, which results in many men not taking the simple checkup. This is what Cottonil is out to change.

Cottonil is sending out trucks filled with certified medical staff, providing 10,000 men around the country with a free checkup, under their new campaign. The campaign hopes to improve men’s health across the country and lower mortality rates to the disease.

https://www.facebook.com/cottonilmasr/photos/a.1021333774585716.1073741828.1021330527919374/1759809400738146/

With their trucks ready and already rolling about the city, Cottonil will be testing men across the country using the PSA test, as well as raising awareness at the importance of early detection, as well as the importance of discussing health issues openly with family and doctors.

Beating Records

Beside their new initiative comes a global spotlight on Cottonil, as they battled and won their right to be on next year’s Guinness World Records book.

The home-wear brand broke a record, and created a new one, through the creation of the world’s largest undershirt and underwear.

According to the press release, the dimensions of the undershirt were 36.49×27.65 meters, weighing 230 Kilos and the dimensions of the underwear were 18.09×25.36 meters, weighing 200 Kilos, all made with the brand’s usual premium fine cotton.

https://www.facebook.com/cottonilmasr/videos/1755128847872868/

The announcement ceremony for the brand’s entry into the Guinness World Records was joined by Acting Syrian Ambassador to Cairo, members of the Syrian community in Egypt, Presenter Tamer Amin, Presenter Tarek Allam, Actor Hani Ramzi and more.

Continuing Good Deeds

Maintaining their streak this month comes the brand’s decision to recycle and reuse the record smashing undershirt and underwear, breaking it into multiple underwear sets, whose profits will be donated to the National Cancer Institute.

CEO of the Official Partner of Guinness World Records in Egypt, Ahmed Meklad, stated that the GWR office in Egypt is proud to be behind Cottonil and its new initiative.

“I am honored to record this noble campaign in the Guinness World Records, hoping to highlight the importance of the initiative and its contribution to the largest segment of the country and help save more Egyptians from one of the most serious diseases, prostate cancer.”

You can follow Cottonil to know where their free checkups will be.