The C Word is also about compassion
Cancer affects everybody but not all the stories are bleak. There’s still room for hope and inspiration.
WHEN I was 12, my aunt who was as close to me as a mother was diagnosed with cancer.
Since then, “the C Word” has been lurking in my life’s narrative, both personally and up until a few years ago, professionally.
As a former virologist who studied the only known virus to directly cause cervical cancer, I gained an appreciation of the medical researchers’ journey towards that holy grail of a “cancer cure”.
Even with all the efforts of the best scientists in the field, backed by substantial resources, we have yet to come close to eliminating the suffering from this chronic disease.
Last week, my complex, analytical science world collided with my personal one when a friend, who is himself a cancer researcher, was diagnosed with cancer.
Imagine, from being someone whose life revolves around solving cancer, to now personally experiencing the problem.
The irony that the news arrived in the leadup to World Cancer Day on Feb 4 was not lost on me.
We went from having conversations about mycoplasma contami nation of tissue culture and applications for research grants, to me now sending text messages to wish that he will be strong going through chemotherapy.
Most, if not all of us, know someone who is affected by cancer. Yet, the discussions surrounding the C Word are still mired in controversy.
A 2015 research paper in Science journal by Tomasetti and Vogelstein attributed the cause of cancer to “bad luck”, escalating the debate on cancer prevention.
The media attention on the research paper tugged at our pessimistic heartstrings, especially when we hear of individuals who are diagnosed with cancer despite having led a healthy lifestyle, further instilling a sense of fear that we can do nothing to prevent cancer.
However, followup discussions on Tomasetti and Vogelstein’s findings highlighted that cancer is caused by a myriad of factors and there exists known risks that can be mitigated to prevent the disease.
A 2015 press release available on the John Hopkins Medicine website offers a layperson’s explanation by the scientists themselves.
When detected early, cancer can be treated and many survivors lead full lives posttreatment.
What’s more worrying is many patients do not get treatment despite having been diagnosed.
A 2017 publication provided data on the low access (7% to 24%) to treatment for solid cancers in Malaysia and argued that the poor are still left to bear the brunt of being diagnosed with chronic diseases such as cancer.
This finding is not surprising. The fact remains that cancer is expensive to treat, adding significant financial burden on its survivors.
While the public health system provides an affordable alternative, the true costs of treatment alone are highly subsidised by taxpayers.
In addition, outofpocket expenses are required, and the patients and their caretaker(s) experience a loss of productivity.
Often neglected in cancer treatment is the mental health of patients and their immediate family.
Mechanisms to address this should be implemented in any design of cancer care.
Cancer is not always a bleak sub ject; there are also stories of hope and inspiration.
I know many strong, amazing women who have survived cancer and now spend a significant amount of their time, effort and money to empower others and provide support for each other.
Through volunteering with The Terry Fox Run KL, I met many kids who like Terry, was affected by cancer.
These children can repeat medical terms more fluently than the average layperson and see their cancers as a challenge that they simply need to overcome – a reminder for all of us adults to lessen our everyday complaints and to live our lives with a lot more gratitude.
A friend, David Wu, is cycling around the world with Ving Lee, to raise funds for the National Cancer Society Malaysia through a project they call Seven Wunders.
Their mission is to have every Malaysian donate RM1.
They hope to raise millions of ringgit for cancer research and to cover cancer patients’ outofpocket expenses, thus reducing the financial burden of the families.
The words and actions of the late Soo Ewe Jin, who was executive editor of The Star and had battled cancer repeatedly, continue to inspire us all to believe that a small act of kindness goes a long way.
Many who knew him would attest to how he would spend time and resources supporting individuals and families affected by cancer.
We can emulate him either by donating money or visiting patients.
The C Word not only represents cancer but also compassion.
The stories of cancer survivors are narratives of how much compassion is given to and paid forward by those affected by it, creating a strong sense of a compassionate community among Malaysians and globally.
This Chinese New Year, let us all toss yee sang for good health and compassion in addition to wealth and prosperity. Gong Xi Fa Cai!