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IKCC End of Year Message 2021

As we close in on the end of the year, a message to the global kidney cancer community and its supporters – a well-earned congratulations! This year has been another full of uncertainty and challenges, yet it is this community’s focus and perseverance that never ceases to amaze.

I’m so proud of what we have accomplished working in partnership with Affiliate Organisations and supporters this year. Some of the highlights include:

World Kidney Cancer Day 2021 was a huge success. The theme – We need to talk about how we are feeling – resonated with the patient community and beyond. The campaign achieved 9.5 million impressions and more than 700 people created their own Personalised Psychosocial Wellbeing Report by answering a short set of questions about their experience. The full report can be found here.
The results of the 2nd Global Patient Survey were released, providing an evidence-based guide to our work to improve the lives of kidney cancer patients. If you haven’t yet, you can view the Highlights Report here.
IKCC hosted its annual Global Patient Summit in October. Affiliate organisations came together virtually to learn from each other, share success and challenges and help build capacity across the network. Overall, the time we spent together strengthened our connection and commitment to our shared mandate.

We also welcomed a new Affiliate Organisation – Polish Amazons Social Movement. And we’re so pleased that Christine Collins, Margie Hickey and Liz Leff have joined the IKCC Board. They bring a variety of experience and expertise – you can see their bios here.

Looking ahead to 2022, first and foremost we are working towards once again meeting in person at the Global Patient Summit in October. Digital platforms made so much possible when we couldn’t travel, but we cannot wait till we can see everyone, build off the energy that only happens when we’re together, and strengthen the connection of the Coalition.

The third Global Patient Survey will launch in 2022. Once again, IKCC will partner with Affiliate Organisations to understand the experiences of kidney cancer patients and caregivers. Past survey results have informed education resources, awareness campaigns and more – to ultimately help improve kidney cancer patients’ lives. Results have also been presented at national and international meetings and conferences and shared broadly with stakeholders. Stay tuned for details on the 2022 Global Patient Survey.

We are also planning World Kidney Cancer Day 2022. In June, we will launch an awareness campaign that focuses on the importance of treatment options. We will continue to build on the success of past WKCD campaigns and continue to emphasise the importance of shared-decision making in kidney cancer care.

It was hard work to achieve all that we have in 2021 but it was so worth it. Together we drove awareness of kidney cancer and advocated for people affected by kidney cancer around the world. We all need to celebrate our success and anticipate those successes yet to come in 2022! As always, on behalf of the Board and staff at IKCC, we sincerely thank you for your steadfast commitment to improving the lives of people with kidney cancer.

In partnership,
Rachel Giles
Chair, IKCC Board of Directors