Thursday, December 24, 2009

Fight Against Cervical Cancer.......Why Now??

We have been running this campaign for over 6 months now and there have been a few incidences that bring a smile to my face cause of the cynical nature most people have these days…

Several people question us on, why we are running this campaign, what’s the underlying reason that we are not revealing? What’s in it for us?

Shouting it out aloud for all of you, we simply want to generate awareness! That’s what The PRactice wants…

Personally there many selfish reasons in it for me for running this campaign …In India 8 women die every waking hour to Cervical Cancer…as shocking it is, even more shocking is that one of these could be one of my loved ones! Someone from my family, friends, without whom I can’t imagine my life….

So urging you all to join in help us spread the word…!

Contributed by: Sukhmani Bikram, New Delhi

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Will I Be The Next?

Do I have it? Do I need to get it checked? Is it going to be painful? How and whom should I contact? These are few of the questions that have been driving me crazy. Not only me, but there are thousands of such women awaiting answer to these questions, struggling to make a better and a healthy future. In India, every 8 minutes a women dies because of cervical cancer.

According to Indian statistics, Cervical Cancer is the second most prevalent type of cancer among women. Lack of awareness, multiple sexual partners and unhygienic living conditions are mainly attributed for the rise of the disease which causes the largest number of deaths among women, approximately 74,000 deaths are reported every year in India. Women in India have a laid back attitude when it comes to regular health check-ups, especially when they are over 35 years, with little or no education.

Every time I feel some pain in my body, in the pelvic or the bladder region, my first thought is – Hope this is not Cancer? Every day thousands of women are losing their lives to Breast Cancer, AIDS and Cervical Cancer; these diseases intrude your body without showing any sign. How can I possibly protect myself from getting these diseases? For a medical condition like Cervical cancer, the best way, is to get a Pap smear screening done. Pap smear screening is probably the single most important preventative measure that a woman can take to prevent the development of cervical cancer. Since its introduction over 50 years ago, the Pap test has been the single, greatest contributor to the decline in cervical cancer.

Every day we spend so much money on ourselves to stay alive, but what are we doing with this chance? When we can spend 1000 Rs for an evening out then why do we sham away when it comes to getting health check-ups done? A mere 400-800 Rs can save our lives. It’s time that we realize the danger of this dreadful disease, don’t be ignorant, learn about it and discuss it with your friends and family. Remember, Cervical Cancer is not a contagious disease; early detection can save your life. So let’s join hands to stop this evil from spreading, let’s FIGHT AGAINST CERVICAL CANCER.

Contributed by: Vandita Sheoran, New Delhi

Sunday, December 20, 2009

“No Promiscuity, No Pap Smear!”

“I have never indulged in promiscuity so I don’t need a pap smear!” This was my friend’s reaction when we got talking on cervical cancer. While I was not really surprised at her response, the realization that even well-educated and modern women still harbour reservations about sex or any diagnostic test that might have a sexual angle to it, was what amazed me for a while. The sad part is that a lot of women are reluctant to get their pap smears done because their minds are clouded with innumerable “what ifs?”- What if they are actually diagnosed with cervical cancer? What if they are thought to be promiscuous by their friends and family? What if their characters are judged?

I was personally not aware of cervical cancer prior to joining FACC. Once I read up on it, the facts and figures on this ‘Big C’ sure did scare me. I wanted to spread awareness about this silent killer that is sweeping 8 Indian women every hour. All one needs to do to protect oneself against this disease is to get a pap smear done. It all sounded simple to me. My conversation with my friend just made me realise that the task ahead is not so simple and easy. The social taboos and the fear of being judged is what makes it complicated. I understood the fact that to fight cervical cancer, we need to fight and break down the taboos that surround our society today. It’s time women pushed out the “what ifs” from their mind and take their lives more seriously. We have only one life and we got to live it free- free from fear, free from cervical cancer!!!

Contributed by: Mayurakshi Barua, New Delhi

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Let’s Make Our Suffering a Thing of the Past

‘Prevention is better than cure.’ How many times have we heard this saying? I guess many times, but how many times have we actually practiced it?

Even when it comes to our own health, we have nothing but just an excuse.

Why are we so callous about our own health? We know the numbers are a telling reminder of how bad things are. Sample this again: 8 women are dying in India because of cervical cancer every hour making it the most dreaded malaise for women. What have we done about it? Nothing, absolutely nothing!

Life goes on and so do we not thinking about the consequences of ignorance.

Can’t go on like this can we? Time we opened our eyes and acknowledged the danger lurking within.

IT IS TIME.

Thanks to technology and research, we now have an option to get rid of cervical cancer. Just a single vaccination shot, can make a big difference in our lives.

For those who consider smoking to be cool and a great stress buster remember this—the only cause for the spread of cervical cancer is excessive smoking, multiple sexual partners and an unhygienic lifestyle.

Let’s not put our lives at stake anymore. This January, which is cervical cancer month, let’s all come together and kill this disease at its root.

As Pink Floyd immortalized in its famous song Time—Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day / You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way / Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town / Waiting for someone or something to show you the way—IT IS TIME we took control of our life ourselves!

Post Contributed by Vandita Sheoran, New Delhi