World Cancer Day Touches my heart
World Cancer Day 2022 is about equity to care which to me gives everyone empowerment to fight.
My twin sister died because of a rare & aggressive cancer.
Empowerment is one of my core values because of her - it helps us to Grow more, Be more & Give more.
Empowerment allowed her to cultivate Hope,
Empowerment helped her be grateful for every day she was here
Empowerment allowed her to give more to her fight.
Everyone should have access to what they need for their fight.
She waited weeks for a simple elective procedure that would unexpectedly reveal a terminal diagnosis.
She was only 37 & otherwise healthy, of course they suspected nothing so the standard waiting time was acceptable.
Her oncology team could have been involved so much earlier if she was referred earlier.
That knowledge is haunting.
At diagnosis here was no referral procedure to our professor, we found him ourselves after weeks of appointments & second opinions.
At diagnosis it felt like chaos… as an ex nurse I could tell everyone was out of their depth.. it wasn’t their fault… there were gaps.
Information, education & referral procedures could have helped her earlier.
Her Professor, no doubt still fights for this today.
He did his best - instead of 5 months she lived another 2 years.
We are so grateful for that.
She lived in the city, in a well serviced area with none of the inequity factors listed below & yet her access to care was limited.
Cancer is hard enough without these factors that further limit equity of care.
The Union for International cancer Control are focusing on closing the gap to cancer care.
This means considering all of the many reasons for inequity in cancer care.
There are so many reasons why patients do not get early enough access to life saving or prolonging treatments.
These could be Income, education, location and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and lifestyle are just a few of the factors that can negatively affect care.
Precious lives are already getting their care too late, to then deal with inequity is just inhumane.
My hope is that awareness & education keep pushing toward better access across all barriers to care so patients are empowered & given the chance to fight cancer.
What can we do?
Learn more or donate here https://lnkd.in/emGk7DU
Be an advocate for your health & that of others who may need empowerment
Ask questions, get second opinions - its ok to do so
Support organisations that help patients gain access to treatment & assistance
Learn more about your local area, where the gaps may be & how you can help with change.
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