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ShareMumbai: She's played hide-and-seek for months and when finally she did get back, it was for a cause -- one that she says is closest to her heart. Elizabeth Hurley, who joined the Global Landmarks Illumination Initiative in 2000 on the invitation of Evelyn Lauder to spread Breast Cancer Awareness, has a personal reason for it.
"When Evelyn Lauder came to me in 2000, my grandmother had recently died of cancer so it was a cause very close to my heart," reveals Elizabeth. "This is a disease that knows no boundaries and does not discriminate, touching everyone in every country. We all know someone -- a grandmother, friend, mother, aunt, sister, cousin or co-worker who has battled cancer. Now more than ever, it is important to get the message out and tell every woman to see their doctors regularly and get a mammogram done every year if they are over the age of 40. Survival rates are rising and each year we get closer to a cure."
Every spring, Evelyn Lauder hosts an annual gala in New York for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded by Evelyn in 1993. "At the gala I serve as Mistress of Ceremonies and Sir Elton John is always involved. Each October, I join Evelyn to travel around the world raising awareness for breast health and funds for breast cancer research. Last year we visited the US, the UK, Ireland, Amsterdam, Australia, India and Italy...we want everyone to know that ifbreast cancer is detected early, it's 98 per cent curable."
Elizabeth says the Illumination Initiative has also come a long way. "Evelyn and I have illuminated over 200 landmarks alone in 2008, including the Tower of London in the UK, Los Angeles International Airport in the US, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel in Mumbai and the Tokyo Tower in Japan. Our goal is to encourage women all over the world to get a mammogram every year if they are over the age of 40."
