A VIBRANT pink van will be turning heads as it makes its rounds across the kingdom throughout October in a bid to raise awareness about breast cancer.
The iconic Pink Panther VW campervan will also be parked at various locations to give people picture perfect moments during the month-long charitable campaign.
“The Pink Panther bus is a conversation piece,” said Professor Julie Sprakel, Think Pink: Bahrain Breast Cancer Society’s founder and president. “It’s the brainchild of Mehdi Honar and Ru’a Suleiman, two very passionate and supportive patrons of Think Pink. We encourage people to take pictures and tag the charity – @thinkpinkBahrain on Instagram.”
According to businessman Mr Honar, working with Cordon Bleu Chef Suleiman on this concept was a no-brainer as she has been an advocate for years, helping him during previous Think Pink initiatives.
“She offered the use of her food truck to promote Think Pink and breast cancer for the entire month,” said Mr Honar, the owner and MD of a management company. “We then immediately contacted Professor Sprakel requesting to be involved in the month-long awareness campaign.
“Promoting cancer awareness, as well as supporting and participating in events related to cancer is something very close to my heart. It started when my daughter Persia, who is now 25 and completely recovered, thanks to God and everyone’s prayers, was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma Cancer.”
Ewing Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that occurs in bones or in the soft tissue around the bones. It most often begins in the leg and in the pelvis, but it can occur in any bone. Less often, it starts in the soft tissues of the chest, abdomen, limbs or other locations.
“We welcome people to come capture moments with the Pink Panther and start the conversation about cancer,” added Mr Honar. “This is important to both of us.”
A few of Ms Suleiman’s family members are diagnosed with breast cancer, which she says is a ‘big reason’ for her playing a part in the awareness campaign.
“The idea is to have something different from what people are used to seeing,” said Ms Suleiman. A bright pink coloured VW truck is not a common thing and it is going to be interesting for everyone to see what’s going on and what’s behind the wheel.”
The history of the VW campervan dates back to post-war Europe, when in 1948 Volkswagen developed a van version of its popular Beetle car.
Its popularity was associated with the US hippy generation of the 1960s, and then with surfers. More recently, it has been associated with ‘glamping’. This refers to the new generation of glamorous camping enthusiasts – generally ‘cool’ groups of people. But it goes beyond being a cult thing, according to the trade classics website.
‘It goes across generations. There are people of all generations who consider the VW campervan to be a classic vehicle. It is not unusual to see couples in their 50s or more, travelling around in their VW campervans. Many have personalised the look of their van and there are versions in all sorts of colour combinations on the road,’ it reports.
For details, follow @thinkpinkbahrain on Instagram.
mai@gdnmedia.bh
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