“Cancer patients in India are not just dealing with a major disease, they have to also deal with the stigma that comes with it” - Dr Purvish Parikh, Medical Oncologist and Hematologist; Health Activist and Editor in Chief at JASCAP
Utsa Shah attends a cancer patients meet at Tata Memorial Hospital and experiences the truth of the statement.
A middle-aged lady holding her 15-year-old kid’s hand, her eyes watery, said, “My kid is not allowed to play with other children. They fear that cancer is contagious.” A 17-year-old, who had just overcome cancer, said, “Why the difference? My college mates refused to share food with me.”
Cancer comes with a social stigma in India. In a survey of nine countries (which included India) by the Lance Armstrong Foundation on cancer stigma, more than half the respondents felt that the patient was somehow responsible for getting cancer. Such mis-perceptions add to the patient’s emotional burden. Patients feel guilty and are often depressed. This has been documented to delay the correct diagnosis since medical check-ups are avoided simply to keep secret their illness. Even after recovery, cancer survivors are shunned as marriage partners, as was mentioned in a recent Times of India article ‘Wedlock Dreams – Cancer survivors shun stigma’.
A lively young boy, who addressed the cancer meet, said, “People are right when they say we are different, because yes, we are differently abled. God has given us the strength to fight this disease and yet stand tall among everyone.”
He knows what he is talking about.
A few months after finishing his cancer treatment, he walked into his society cricket ground like Sachin Tendulkar to loud applause.
If you wish to create awareness about cancer and fight misperceptions, you can do the following:
• Write about cancer, treatments and cancer centres on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter
• Create a website providing similar information, plus how to donate money to cancer foundations or hospitals or be a cancer champion like you
• Profile cancer survivors to show that cancer is not a death sentence – let them share their experiences on social networking sites
• Put up fliers around neighbourhoods or in community centres
• Encourage friends and families to go for regular check-ups
• Assist organisations in their cancer awareness or detection programmes
• Conduct cancer awareness programmes in rural areas to educate people about the disease.
Related articles:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/health-jan-june11-cancerstigma_06-15/
Patient-Voice/602/Stigma-breaking-the-vicious-cycle.html
Wedlock-dreams-Cancer-survivors-fight-stigma/articleshow/30620707.cms
