OBLIQUE ANGLE : Cancer and need for togetherness

Yesterday was World Cancer Day. Experts generally say it is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.

They add that there are more than 100 types of cancer. They include lung cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer and skin cancer. Treatment can be done via chemotherapy, radiation and/or surgery.

Experts say the possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bleeding, prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss and a change in bowel movements. While these symptoms may indicate cancer, they may have other causes. For most people who have never been affected by cancer – in one way or other – it is difficult to comprehend what a cancer patient goes through. Those that have do understand.

As public campaigns continue to be run in a bid to spread awareness about the disease, there are some aspects that we tend to ignore. I’m not saying that focusing on those aspects is wrong, far from it. We simply need to widen our scope when it comes to cancer treatment and handling of patients.

When a family member falls victim to a cancerous case, it is the entire household that suffers. The pains the victims goes through is shared among those closest to him or her. Even as it is important try and sympathize with the patient, we also need to offer our moral (and material) support to those surrounding him or her.

Jennifer Aniston says: “Cancer affects all of us, whether you’re a daughter, mother, sister, friend, coworker, doctor, or patient.”

Cancerous cases in our society are on the rise. The facilities offering services to cancer patients simply can’t cope with the situation. Even those that are there are ill-equipped. More specialists are needed, more centres dealing with the disease need to be established in different parts of the country. To achieve this, the government will need to come up with a new strategy—one that will ensure availability of funds for construction and equipping the centres. This may best be implemented through the public-private-partnership.

The State needs to improve and strengthen the business environment so as to build a strong private sector that can become a partner of the government in fulfilling multi-billion dollar projects in the country.

It is equally important for us to realise that our society suffers from many other forms of cancers: corruption, laziness, bigotry, lawlessness, lack of creativity, lack of accountability, failure of adhering to the rule of law and segregation. These we need to continue fighting. As for those families caring one of their own suffering from cancer, Winston Churchill’s word is for you: “We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.”

And, Ambrose Redmoon says: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.”