Campaigns & Awareness
Sarcoma is rare, and rare cancers are easy to miss — by the public, and by the health professionals who see them once in a career. Our campaigns exist to change that, because earlier recognition means earlier diagnosis, and earlier diagnosis saves lives.
Sarcoma Awareness Month — July
July is Sarcoma Awareness Month, and it is the busiest month in our calendar. Each year we run a sustained campaign across our social media channels sharing patient stories, symptom information and the message that a lump bigger than a golf ball, or persistent unexplained bone pain, should be checked.
The month also brings together our Patient Information Day, the Big Yellow Picnic and the Seeds for Sarcoma campaign — awareness and community in the same breath.
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month — September
Around 10% of childhood cancers are sarcomas, and roughly 30 children are diagnosed in Ireland every year. Each September we highlight the specific challenges facing children, teenagers and young adults with sarcoma, and the work still needed to improve their care and their transition into adult services.
Rare Disease Day — 28 February
We mark Rare Disease Day each year alongside the wider rare disease community in Ireland. In 2026 we chose the day to launch our Strategic Plan 2026–2028.
The GP Education Initiative
Most GPs will encounter only one sarcoma patient in an entire career, and early symptoms are often dismissed or attributed to something else. Working with the sarcoma clinicians at St Vincent’s University Hospital, we produced Diagnosing Sarcoma: A Guide for GPs, setting out the red flags and the referral pathway on a single page.
In 2025 the flyer was printed and posted to every GP practice in the Republic of Ireland — more than 1,700 clinics — and supporting articles were published in Forum Journal, which reaches every registered GP in the country. The flyer is free to download from our website and printed copies can be posted to any practice free of charge.
Our Strategic Plan commits us to extending this work to medical students and allied healthcare providers, including physiotherapists and osteopaths, who often see patients with a persistent lump or ache long before anyone else does.
The Big Yellow Picnic
Every July we invite families, workplaces and communities across Ireland to host a Big Yellow Picnic — a picnic, a coffee morning or a garden get-together. We send a free picnic pack with everything needed to make a day of it. It is a simple, joyful way to start a conversation about sarcoma in places where it would not otherwise come up.
Seeds for Sarcoma
Supporters plant sunflowers as a symbol of hope, strength and solidarity with everyone affected by sarcoma. As the flowers grow through the summer they become a visible reminder of the community standing behind those facing a diagnosis. Every pack of seeds bought helps fund our services.
Patient Stories
Nothing communicates what sarcoma is like as powerfully as the people living it. With their permission, we share patients’ and families’ own words across our channels. If you would like to tell your story, we would be honoured — and we will only ever publish exactly what you are comfortable with.
Help Us Spread the Word
Follow and share our channels, take part in a campaign, or ask your local GP practice, pharmacy or workplace whether they would display our materials. Email info@sarcoma.ie and we will send you what you need.