Deep sighs! I lost my
sleep and tranquility at the wee hours of the day, as I sat up straight on the
edge of my bed meditating on the affairs of today. Then suddenly, I was alerted
by the ding sound on my iPad, it was an email from one of my feeds alerting me
about today's event.
I wouldn't delve into
the nitty gritty of the cancer epidemic but rather, I want to use this medium
to empathize with those who are affected by cancer. World
Cancer Day is
marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its
prevention, early detection, and treatment. I call you survivors!
I've
had my own fair share of some of the pains you go through; nonetheless I
can only imagine the magnanimity of your perils as a fighter and
survivor. The sting of cancer is eating deep into our society due to
numerous technological advancements in dietary intakes and all. I am not here
this day to tell you what you already know, neither am I here to dictate how to
live your lives or condemn you from the unhealthy lifestyles you lived. I am
here to give you a word of hope, encourage you to keep on fighting hard as long
as you can.
I
know sometimes you feel the world is not a beautiful place to live, you
sometimes have feelings of doom and emptiness, at other times; you might feel
like giving up and see no other justifiable reason to live. Dear Fighter and
Survivor, life might still be beautiful when you see the rising sun and the
dawning of each new day. Never give up! Today is your day, to celebrate and
remind you about cancer awareness.
Before I go, I would
like to say this; I've lost close relatives and friends fighting this cancer
battle and I still have people with whom we fight their battles together
through my presence, words of encouragement, financial and moral support and
most importantly; my spiritual support. I remember you today and I can only
pray to God that a miracle should happen in your lives.
Subsequently, my word of
appeal goes out to those of you who do not even know your health status, I will
never stop saying it, health is wealth! Get tested today! Cancer can be detected by certain signs and symptoms
or by screening tests. It is typically further investigated by medical imaging
and confirmed by biopsy. Early detection through screening is useful for
cervical and colorectal cancer.
Although
a preventable disease, cancer is indeed a human frightening and deadly medical
condition that can occur in any essential organ in the body including stomach,
lung, breast, kidney, liver, heart, eye, nose, skin, cervical, bone, brain,
just to mention a few. Many cancerous growths can be prevented by not indulging
in smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, not drinking too much alcohol, eating
plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, being vaccinated against
certain infectious diseases, not eating too much red meat, coupled with
avoidance of regular exposure to sunlight and urban air pollution.
Cancer
is usually treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, targeted
therapy or sometimes, a combination of all. In a typical cancer treatment, pain
and symptom management are an important and basic part of care. Palliative care
is particularly recommended for patients suffering from advanced cancer condition.
Finally,
the most prevalent and common cancers are; Lung and Prostrate Cancer in males,
Breast and Cervical Cancer in females. Ladies should ensure to check their
breasts every morning, check for abnormal changes in colour, size, lumps etc
and report to a doctor immediately you observe anything strange. The chance of
surviving a cancer is greater if it’s detected early enough. Men should also
check for pains in their lower abdominal regions and go for regular medical checkups.
With
love,
Oluwatimilehin
Oke
Email:
Okeflex360@yahoo.com
Whatsapp: +234-8142-798-776
BB PIN: 7F4B734D
BB CHANNEL: C001C7A18
Twitter: @timi0301
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