Dear Društvo SILA members,
Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in women. Yearly in Slovenia there are around 1300 newly
diagnosed women with breast cancer, and 10 to 15 men. Even if it is a highly curable chronic disease,
breast cancer is the cause of death of one patient a day.
Europa Donna is European breast cancer patient’s coalition with its headquarters in Milano. Slovenia
has joined in 1997. Together we prepare breast cancer advocacy initiatives in support of the 10 goals
of Europa Donna and thus improve the lives of women with breast cancer. In Europa Donna we
connect healthy population, cancer patients, individuals, experts and institutions. The main goal of
our association is to provide equal opportunities and access to all women cancer patients in Slovenia
to be treated holistically, to early disease detection, immediate and effective medical
treatment with rehabilitation.
We strive to provide support to the patients, their family members and closest friends, to spread
awareness of healthy lifestyle and prevention and to cooperate with the decision makers and experts
in the field of breast cancer and genital cancers.
The well-known and established programmes of Europa Donna are awareness raising campaigns
through publishing Europa Donna News, Pink October Activities and Lectures on healthy lifestyle for
the general public throughout Slovenia. The other part of our activities is focused on cancer patients.
We provide Telephone counselling for patients, relatives, caregivers; educational workshops, and
psychosocial help meetings – one for patients, one for their relatives and one for those, who lost their
beloved due to cancer. A lot of research has been done among the members to learn their needs and
try to answer them by adaptation of the existing programmes or establishing new ones.