ncdfree

[ncdfree]

"At the age of 17 I watched my father go from an apparently healthy 69 year old, to dead in less than 4 months, the reason lung cancer caused by smoking. 18 years my Mother, who did not stop smoking suffered the same fate. They grew up in a time when smoking was considered cool and had no idea it would ultimately lead to a slow and painful death. In this day and age we must continue to fight against tobacco and educate the generations to come to avoid this life threatening addiction." (Ian Pitts, , Bridgetown)

[ncdfree]

"As my family came to terms with my sister’s diagnosis with type 1 diabetes, we realised how much more incredibly difficult things would be if we were living in a low income country, without access to care. And now it is these inequalities which drive me - not only access to care, but how having a lower socioeconomic status is associated with increased risk factor exposure. Social inequalities account for over half of inequalities in NCD outcomes. Where you live should not determine if you live." (Jessica Beagley, @JessicaBeagley, London, UK)

[ncdfree]

"I feel very strongly about NCD's. I lost my father due to a heart attack two years ago & I have seen how cancer has affected those I love over the past few years. These experiences have made me take a look at myself and my family and made me more conscious about our life, and the way we choose to live it. Most of us are affected by NCD's in one way or another. I believe prevention is the key, and it could save the life of the ones we love so why isn't it a more talked about issue in our society?" (Erin Price, Melbourne, Australia)

[ncdfree]

"Working for many years as a Physiotherapist with people with brain injuries, I recognise that physical inactivity is a big problem. Many people want to be physically active, but they need support and appropriate opportunities for this. My research focuses on this problem. I am working on a rehabilitation trial which is evaluating the use of affordable technology to increase physical activity in rehabilitation populations, including people with brain injuries." (Dr Leanne Hassett, of The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney)

[ncdfree]

"I don’t think I truly knew what love was until I became the co-caretaker of my father, who passed away as the result of 8 strokes over 5 years, complicated by type 2 diabetes. It was then that I saw the very real need for patient advocacy at both a personal level and a global one. I have since dedicated myself to strategic messaging and advocacy around NCDs for individuals like my father across the world, many of whom lack the vital medical resources to which he had access." (Abby Capobianco, @abbycapobianco, Boston)

[ncdfree]

"Our inability to confront the issues of tomorrow, today, consistently seem to haunt us both on the individual and societal level. Whether its the patient who we struggle to convince to stop smoking, or the community who cannot see the benefits of money for prevention, our sense of risk is clouded by the way we frame the issue. It took us more than a decade to respond appropriately to the HIV epidemic, how long will it take us to address NCDs in the same way?" (Naveen Tenneti, @tennetin, Melbourne)

[ncdfree]

"My first encounter with NCDs was having cancer when I was young. It was a difficult time for me and my family. This single disease wasn’t only difficult for me, but for my whole community in so many ways that you never think of beforehand. Since then I’ve directed my life towards controlling cancer - so many of them are related to lifestyle, putting strain on all areas of the community. Simple lifestyle changes can prevent a person, and a community, from having to deal with cancer." (Red, Suva, Fiji islands)

[ncdfree]

"As a medical and public health student, I see the effects of NCDs on our most vulnerable people every day. How can we possibly blame the individual, when the poorest areas of our cities have the highest density of fast food outlets? We need to create change." (Sally Gordon, @SallyFeliciaG, Melbourne)

[ncdfree]

"I believe one of the biggest challenges in health is to start an open dialogue about mental health(MH).1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem anytime of our life. It is important to work together + increase understanding that mental health problems can happen to any of us and that it can be tackled.MH challenges are not just a side effect of a busy life or an exclusive problem of developed societies; it is a global NCD that can affect us all and it should be effectively confronted." (Lida, @lidaef, Rotterdam)

[ncdfree]

"As an emergency doctor in a busy metropolitan hospital, I work with NCDs every single day. Some days I may be treating a cardiac arrest, struggling to get their heart to start beating again. Other times, I’m putting a blanket over the intoxicated homeless man stumbling in at 3am. Alcohol contributes to many hospital visits and is a major cause of preventable injury & disease. Societal costs of alcohol misuse are increasingly hard to ignore. It’s time we had a thorough conversation about this." (Jenny Jamieson, @drjennyjamieson, Melbourne)

[ncdfree]

"I’ve come to understand that NCDs are not diseases of the rich, the wealthy or the lazy. They are more often caused by social, economic and political factors that we can and should do something about. A world free from preventable NCDs is possible, and is the sort of world I want my children and their children to live in. Let’s get to work!" (Dan Lewis-Toakley, @dtoakley, Berlin, Germany)

[ncdfree]

"NCDs are no longer diseases of affluence affecting the developed world. NCDs have modifiable risk factors and prevention starts with each and every one of us! We all have a unique role in this fight against NCDs. Collectively, we are fortunate to have the capacity to encourage people to act as ‘champions’ of behavioural change, and spread messages of health promotion. Go #NCDFree!" (Lynette & Linny Phuong, @drlinnykp, @thewaterwellvic, Melbourne)

[ncdfree]

"Obesity isn’t about laziness. It’s about governments, the food system, Big Food Co and the dollar. I commit and I advocate to change the food system to one that doesn’t punish. I commit and I advocate to change the face of NCDs." (India, Sydney, Australia)

[ncdfree]

"The vision that drives me in my work is a global food system that is fair, healthy and sustainable. We are currently far from this reality though: 1.4 billion people in the world are overweight or obese; at the same time 800 million can not get enough to eat and 2 billion are micronutrient deficient. Achieving a healthy and just food system will require collective action on a grand scale - the emerging generation of innovative leaders (like NCD Free) are well positioned to lead this." (Phillip Baker, @PhilBakerNZ, Canberra)

[ncdfree]

"I’m a dental student and my passion is to close the gap in oral health. Tooth and gum disease is a preventable NCD, yet by age six, half of all Australian children will have tooth decay. It is also the third most common reason children are admitted to the hospital. If we work together we can stop the rot by promoting the importance of oral health and how it is an essential component of general health." (Jessica Zachar, @ZacharJessica, Australia)

[ncdfree]

"I would like to see responsible governments ensure that the healthy option is the realistic and obtainable option for everyone. This is something we still need to strive for and will not be possible without empowered and informed individuals to push for transparency and healthier communities." (Allisa, @allisarobertson, Melbourne)

[ncdfree]

"The more I learn about NCDs and hear the stories of those effected, the more obvious it becomes that the time to act is now. If everyone makes just small changes today, we can prevent global epidemic NCD challenges tomorrow." (Giuseppe, @ncdfree, Melbourne)