Lavender in the Desert: How 10KSA Is Teaching a Nation — and the World — to Choose Life

By Rebeca Riofrio

There are conversations that arrive with the weight of a quiet revelation. Mine came this week, when my business partner — and Editor-in-Chief of Elaph — Othman Al Omeir rang to tell me about a force in Saudi Arabia I needed to see for myself. Not a project. Not a campaign. A movement. And at its heart: Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Malak Al Kaud, and the indefatigable Sian Tichar — three women who decided that cancer awareness in the Kingdom could not remain a polite topic whispered in corridors. It had to be unmissable. Unavoidable. Unforgettable.

After briefly speaking with Malak, I met with Sian Tichar, whose clarity and conviction seemed to sharpen the room itself. She told me how 10KSA was born — not from committees or formal mandates, but from women who refused to watch other women suffer in silence. She spoke of the early days, before she herself joined the initiative: the doubts, the courage, and the decisive moment when it was agreed that Saudi Arabia would no longer tiptoe around cancer. The Kingdom would confront it openly, in broad daylight — and in lavender.

Her words struck a place I rarely touch in public.I have lost far too many friends to cancer — their laughter still vivid, their conversations unfinished. And like many, I know that the battle is not only with the disease but with the treatment: harsh, intrusive, and unforgiving. I have walked part of that personal road myself. I know the quiet moment when a doctor’s expression tells you your life has shifted, without theatrics, without warning.

So when Sian described 10KSA — a movement built to mobilise a nation toward prevention and early detection — it felt less like an initiative and more like an act of collective mercy.

A Movement That Refuses to Sit Quietly

What has remained with me is not simply the sight of nearly 9,000 women forming a human awareness ribbon — though the image still tightens the chest — but the shift in consciousness it ignited. I was told that, at its foundation, Princess Reema and the original movement achieved something historic: in 2015, they secured the Guinness World Record for the largest human cancer-awareness ribbon. Almost a decade later, the impact of that moment still echoes through the Kingdom — not as a memory, but as a mandate to continue.

Cancer does not respect borders. It does not request passports. It cares nothing for age, gender, privilege, or nationality. It walks into homes uninvited. It rewrites destinies overnight.

And it wins too often — not because it is unstoppable, but because people fear naming it and hesitate to check their health in time.

This is where 10KSA becomes revolutionary:it teaches that knowledge is not frightening — silence is.

10KSA 2025: The Year of Personal Responsibility

What makes the new chapter of 10KSA so compelling is its simplicity:  everyone must become their own health champion.  Not someday. Not when life slows. Now!

Get a check-up. Book a screening. Encourage someone you love to do the same.

On 8 December, Saudi Arabia — and anyone who believes in the value of life — will turn that truth into action by forming Lavender Ribbons wherever they are:

• a classroom of teenagers

• a boardroom of executives

• a living room full of family

• a group of friends in a park

• or one single person standing with purpose and a lavender scarf

The form does not matter.The choice does.

“I will take responsibility for my health — and I will help you take responsibility for yours.”

Sometimes revolutions begin quietly. Sometimes they begin with a colour.

Why Lavender?

Because Cancer Has Too Many Faces. Lavender is the universal colour representing all cancers. It honours survivors. It comforts those grieving. It stands with those still fighting.

According to GLOBOCAN 2022, the world saw nearly 20 million cancer cases in a single year. Breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer — these are not clusters; they are continents of suffering. And yet, we know something powerful: prevention and early detection can save millions of lives.

Most people do not die from cancer because it is unbeatable.They die because they found it too late.

This is the brutality of the disease. And the brilliance of 10KSA is that it confronts this brutality not with fear, but with mobilisation.

A Ribbon Is Not a Symbol — It Is a Reminder

A Lavender Ribbon is not decoration. It is a quiet command.

It says:“Book the appointment. Have the conversation. Change the habit. Live because your life matters.”

It calls us to abandon the illusion that illness belongs to “other people.”It reminds us that health is not an inheritance —it is a discipline.

The Women Behind the Movement

At the centre of this transformation stand three remarkable women: Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, whose leadership carries both vision and precision; Malak Al Kaud, who turns ideas into movements; Sian Tichar, whose communication brilliance ensures the Kingdom moves in unified purpose.

They have not only built an initiative.They have built a culture of accountability.They have made cancer awareness not an occasional reminder but a national mindset. If I sound moved, it is because I am.

Why This Matters Beyond KSA

I have worked across continents. I have witnessed campaigns rise, peak, and fade.But 10KSA is different. It feels like a turning point — one that resonates far beyond Saudi Arabia, echoing here in the United Kingdom and across the world.

Because cancer is a global adversary. Because prevention is a universal right. Because early detection is a shared responsibility. And because — whether we live in Riyadh, Rome, Tokyo, London, or Los Angeles —we are all one diagnosis away from having our lives rewritten.

That is why awareness matters. That is why education matters. That is why 10KSA matters.

Invitation to Readers — Join Us, Wear Lavender

We encourage every reader — wherever you are in the world — to wear something lavender on 8 December and take part in this powerful movement for awareness. Share a photo or video on social media, tag @10KSA2025, use #10KSA, and contribute in your own way.

You may create a Lavender Ribbon with friends, family, colleagues, or even alone. For inspiration, you can download the official 10KSA toolkit online and explore the creative ideas it offers. A colour cannot cure cancer —but a nation, and a world, standing together just might change the odds.

Send us your picture wearing lavender. We’ll share our favourites on our social channels — and some of you may be featured in our follow-up article on this story. info@parliamentarysociety.com