We’ve just come home from looking at the Turner prize nominations at the Baltic centre, just round the corner from where we live in Gateshead: Hattie, our three year old, stroppy as usual; Martha, six, floated around; Ed, eight, was loud in his disarmingly exuberant attitude towards life in general. Roger and I enjoyed the art, but cast longing glances towards the cafe, hankering for coffee. Just an ordinary weekend family outing – but when you’ve survived a life-threatening cancer, as I have, nothing ever quite feels ordinary again.

I’ve had a rare, aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. When they found it, four years ago, I was 32 weeks pregnant with our third child.

The diagnosis came out of the blue, if you don’t count the months of terrible itching, exhaustion and excruciating upper back pain that were repeatedly put down to the niggles of pregnancy. I was 38, fit and healthy, and had sailed through the previous pregnancies with nothing more to worry about than morning sickness.

First, I saw a lung-cancer consultant, though I don’t smoke. all that morning, Roger and I stared at day-time television without speaking much at all. I knew we were going to be told something terrifying – and talking was impossible. We went in, only to be told that I did not have lung cancer – I had a blood cancer. Another set of doctors arrived. I remember laughing and making a silly joke. they said I had about three weeks to live. Then they left us alone in the office.

I was diagnosed on a Friday, and told that on the Monday I would have to deliver our baby, who was exactly 32 weeks. I then needed urgently to begin what would be nearly a year of hardcore treatment: in-patient chemotherapy, dripped through a Hickman line for 72 hours at a time; a stem-cell transplant so brutal it carried a mortality rate of its own and, finally, radiotherapy. they were throwing everything at it, as the consultant said, to try to save my life. I think the enormity of it all didn’t hit me for a while.

Today, I look back and wonder how I coped. Hattie was born by caesarean section, because I wasn’t strong enough to go into labour. she was rushed off to special care, weighing a sturdy 4lb 9oz, something all the nurses exclaimed at. I was proud of her good weight: I had grown a healthy baby, a source of deep comfort when I was fading fast.

We were told that she might not cry when she was born as she was so small, but she did. I remember hearing that strong little cry and holding it inside me, as she was taken away and I was taken into recovery.

That was three years ago. Hattie stayed in special care for eight weeks, and, after a scary start, pretty much went from strength to strength. I started my first round of chemotherapy a week after she was born. I shaved off my long hair and the rest fell out, as predicted. I wanted to bury myself into my baby and shut the world out. Pretty much all I wanted to do was breastfeed her, but Hattie was covered in tubes in an incubator. for a week, I couldn’t even hold her, and anyway the chemotherapy was toxic enough to throw me into immediate and permanent menopause.

Trying to ignore that overwhelming need to feed her is a memory that can stop me in my tracks to this very day. And the other two? they were so little at the time that they got on with things. Martha, then two, was suddenly no longer the baby, no longer the only girl, and every time she saw me I had that blasted baby clamped to me, trying to get enough of her. Ed, very bright and sensitive at four, would ask me directly if I was going to die. “I hope not, I’m fighting not to,” was the best, most honest answer I could give.

They coped with living in a family that had stumbled into chaos and desperate fear. they had a mother who tried to do everything for them, refused to spend time in bed, then collapsed into fits of tears, or suddenly screamed in terrible anger and viciousness to anyone too close at the wrong time. my own mother turned herself inside out trying to help and (with Roger) bore the brunt of my fear. I thought I was going to die. I really thought I would not see my kids grow up. I had to make plans for that, and I hated everyone around me – even Roger and the kids, at times – for the fact that life would go on for them.

I sure as hell raged at the dying of the light. it truly wasn’t dignified at times – much as I’d like to pretend that it was.

That terror sat upon my shoulders, and sat in my stomach like a dead weight. Some days I couldn’t move for the paralysing clump of it. Aged 39, I found the early and extreme menopause upsetting and an assault on my sense of self. The side effects are so much more than not being able to have more children. Reaching this stage of life a good 15 years before I had expected, before it had even crossed my mind to consider it an issue, can make me feel resentful and even angry.

I nearly died when I had my stem-cell transplant, and with a battered immune system spent the first year after treatment ill with shingles, tonsillitis, sinusitis, swine flu and any number of other tedious, mind-numbing complaints. But as it turned out, I survived. Amazingly, I’m still here. The treatment worked. Now I have to come to terms with the idea of living again, which is strangely disorientating, and I have learned that many others in my – happy, lucky – situation struggle with the problem as much as I do. It’s really very strange.

I’m back at work – I went back in September and teach English part-time at a busy high school. I’m well, and coming up to three and a half years in remission. I have to get to five years to be considered cancer-free, and still have four-monthly check-ups. If I get a mysterious pain anywhere, it takes barely half an hour for me to feel something like blind panic, because the cancer can return in any organ. But day to day, the cannonball of anxiety in my stomach is for the most part absent.

As a family we are healing too. We talk about the time I was ill, the time I had no hair when Hattie was born and reassure each other that I’m better now. Harriet herself has a strong awareness, which seems something strangely instinctive about the significant part she played in our drama. in fact as I sat at the keyboard trying to write this the other day she came into the room and said, “Are you writing about when I was born and you were ill?” I reassured her – and will need to keep reassuring her – that I wasn’t ill because she was born.

I’d like to say that having cancer improved the parts of my personality that I’m not so keen on – my impatient, quick-tempered side. Or that it encouraged me to reach for my dreams, because life’s too short to waste, and other such cliches. in reality, I’m still impatient with the kids. More than I should be. I’m still a worrier about things that I should have learned to recognise as unimportant, but these days I do try to remind myself, when work gets too stressful, that I faced more than this, and was lucky enough to come through – so far.

Roger and my mum, and my brother and sister, are still enormously supportive, but I don’t always share my deepest fears now. The feeling of panic is not lessened by sharing – in fact, my concerns increase as I describe worrying symptoms or feelings. I know that my mum was deeply traumatised by my experience, and Roger had to love me through my worst times ever. I think that makes us close, but facing up to that fear also takes some of the magic out of things, for the time being anyway.

Having cancer has not changed me as a person, but I’m starting to pick up the pieces of my life again, daring to trust that I have a future once more. only now am I beginning to understand what I nearly lost. And it’s a lonely place to be. But tomorrow is another day, I’ve got to go to work and tonight I’ve got to mark some essays, do some ironing and make the kids’ packed lunches for school. It’s these small things in the present moment that drag me back from that lonely place. Being busy buries that kernel ever deeper. But I haven’t yet decided if that’s good or bad.

• Kate Purdy blogs at calamityandotherstuff.blogspot.com

About 16,600 cases of cancer occur annually in Ghana – GHS February 04, 2011

Accra, Feb. 4, GNA – It is estimated that 16,600 cases of cancer occur annually in Ghana, the Cancer Control Division of Ghana Health Service (GHS) said on Friday.

It said this yielded an age-standardised rate of 109.5 cases per 100,000 persons. 

The most frequent cancers in men are cancers of the Liver, Prostate, Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Stomach and large bowel and the most frequent cancers in women are cancers of the Cervix, Breast, Liver, Ovary and Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

This was contained in a statement issued in Accra to commemorate World Cancer Day on Friday, February 4, 2011.

This year’s celebration is on the theme: “Cancer can be Prevented. Let Us All get Involved”.

The GHS expressed appreciation to the Cancer Society of Ghana for leading the World Cancer Day celebrations this year, which in addition to a march by school children through the principal streets of Accra holding placards with cancer messages, included press briefing and a seminar. 

Some health posters on cancers would also be launched.

Since 2005, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) has been launching the “World Cancer Day” on February 4 each year with the aim of bringing the growing cancer crisis to the attention of the public, government leaders and health policymakers worldwide.

The statement said globally, about 12.7 million people were diagnosed with cancer annually and estimated that there would be 16 million new cases annually by 2020. 

Cancer causes seven million deaths annually – or 12.5 per cent of the 58 million deaths worldwide – this being more than the combined total deaths from HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) projects that without immediate action the global number of deaths from cancer would increase by nearly 80 per cent by 2030, with most occurring in low and middle income countries.

The statement said cases seen in Ghana and other West African countries showed that younger people were now being affected compared to the developed world. 

“This may be because we have a younger population than the developed world. Cases are also increasing at an alarming rate and so we need to act urgently,” it added.

The statement said the GHS’ key strategies to prevent and control cancers were prevention, early detection in those who had the disease, screening to detect very early forms of cancers in persons who did not have any symptoms but were at risk of the disease and treatment and palliative care for terminal cases.   

It said the priority of the Government was prevention and according to the WHO, up to 40 per cent of cancers were potentially preventable through healthy lifestyles and vaccination.

The statement said cancer could be prevented through eating a varied and healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, regular physical activity, limiting alcohol intake, not starting or stopping tobacco use and avoiding exposure to passive smoke.

Others are protecting oneself against cancer-causing infections such as, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus which cause liver cancer, Helicobacter pylori which is linked to stomach cancer.

According to the statement, the prevalence of several of these risk factors was worsening in Ghana. 

For instance, in Ghana, the proportion of women who were overweight or obese increased from 13 per cent to 30 per cent between 1993 and 2008. 

Less than 10 per cent of Ghanaians eat adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. low physical activity levels are reported by 27 per cent to 86 per cent of Ghanaian adults.

The statement said a real concern was that most of the patients report very late to health facilities and come with advanced cases when the disease was largely incurable and likely to end up in death. 

It said patients diagnosed with breast cancer at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital waited an average of 10 months with their symptoms before going to the hospital. 

“It is not surprising therefore that the only 25 per cent of patients at Korle Bu with breast cancer survived beyond five years after diagnosis,” it added.

Some reasons that contribute to late reporting are misconceptions and myths such as witchcraft being the cause of the cancer, a fear that surgical intervention would hasten the disease process towards death and a general low awareness of signs and symptoms of the disease. 

Some health facilities also do not have the capacity to diagnose cancers early. 

Early detection of cancer saves life! that is, if a case is detected early, it can be cured completely and the person will be free of cancer for life unlike other diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and even HIV and AIDS which do not have a cure.

Management of the advanced cases is very expensive and they also have poor outcome; but prevention, early detection and treatment of the early stages of cancer is very cost effective and has very good outcome. 

Indeed, the WHO estimates that about 30 per cent of patients will recover completely if detected early by various simple types of screening methods or tests. 

There is also hope for patients who are diagnosed in late stage with various types of treatment which may involve radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, hormonal therapy, or some combination of these.

The statement said the Government in line with its health policy, launched a Regenerative Health and Nutrition Programme five years ago to promote healthy lifestyles and encourage Ghanaians to maintain a healthy physical and social environment. 

Government has recently secured a loan to expand radiotherapy facilities at the Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals and to strengthen prevention and early detection activities. 

In addition, Government is also working to present the Tobacco and the Public Health Bill before Parliament as soon as possible. 

The statement said various non-governmental organisations devoted to cancers or their risk factors had been embarking on various awareness programmes in urban and rural communities.

“We have to continue to educate the public on the early warning signs of various cancers for individuals to report early to health facilities. Women aged 30 years and older should remember to examine their own breasts periodically and report any unusual changes to a health worker,” it added.

“Let us remember we can prevent cancers through simple lifestyle changes and other control measures such as vaccination, regular physical activity, eating healthily, limiting alcohol consumption, and avoiding tobacco.”

The GHS acknowledge the support of all partners including Civil Society Organisations, NGOs, the Media and all those helping in the fight against cancer in Ghana.

But there is one very important health-related resolution that you need to include on your list: “This year I will be diligent in getting recommended health checkups and cancer screenings. and if anything seems amiss, I’ll have it checked by a physician.”

Now if you’re a young woman in her late teens through age 40, you may think that this is not a necessary resolution, especially the cancer screenings part, because cancer is “an old person’s disease.” But that is not true.

At a recent meeting of Women of Hope, there were women in their 20s and 30s, all of whom are cancer survivors. Their cancers ranged from breast, colon, lung, thyroid, skin and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Cancer can strike women at any age, and with the odds 1-in-3 of a woman getting cancer in her lifetime, you need to be proactive in screening yourself. Getting mammograms and pap smears are important, but many of these tests are not routinely done until age 40 and older.

Don’t rely on tests alone to protect you from cancer. It is just as important to listen to your body and notice anything that’s different, odd, or unexplainable. you need to be aware of what to look for and when to seek help.

Here are a few screening tips. Remember that these symptoms do not necessarily mean that you have cancer, but if they are persistent or bothersome, then you need to be checked by a physician.

Look for one or more of the following: Unexplained weight loss, bloating, breast changes, between-period bleeding or other unusual bleeding, skin changes, difficulty swallowing, blood in the wrong place, gnawing abdominal pain and depression, indigestion, mouth changes, pain, changes in the lymph nodes, fever, fatigue or persistent cough.

Work hard to keep those resolutions of having a healthy weight, eating good foods and getting into that desired dress size.

And don’t forget to get your recommended health checkups and cancer screenings. if symptoms you experience are persistent or bothersome, have them checked by a physician.

Here’s wishing you a happy and healthy 2011.

Joy Wade is executive director of Women of Hope, a local nonprofit organization that supports women with all types of cancer. its office is in Oleander Office Park, 4018-C Oleander Dr. Suite 3. Contact Women of Hope at 799-7178 or Joy Wade, executive director, at 617-0990,or visit womenofhopefightcancer.com.

The StarNews Neighbors section welcomes articles written by nonprofits and others. Articles need to be around 400 words and accompanied by a high-quality photograph. for more information, contact Neighbors Editor Si Cantwell at 343-2364 or si.cantwell@starnewsonline.com.