By Elizabeth Monahan
One of the most interesting things that I learned from Dr. Zafar’s lecture was that around the world, cancer has a stigma. This was something that I had never thought of before because everyone who I have ever known who has had cancer was incredibly supported economically, emotionally, and physically by the surrounding community. Nobody was looked down upon or ostracized because they had been diagnosed with cancer. Of all the reasons to fear being diagnosed with cancer, facing a negative stigma is something that I never would have considered.
After listening to Dr. Zafar’s lecture, I began to think of all the downstream effects of a communal negative stigma surrounding cancer. We know that one of the best ways to increase somebody’s chance of survival is to diagnose their cancer early. If there is a negative stigma regarding cancer, the chances that somebody is going to go to a clinic or the hospital to take part in early detection measures, or even go in when they start to suspect that something is wrong, is probably lower than in areas where there is not a negative communal stigma regarding cancer. This results in cancer being caught in much later stages, and results in lower survival chances. This means that a negative stigma is potentially contributing to higher rates of mortality due to cancer. However, this stigma can also affect the lives of patients as they fight cancer and the lives of their families.
A negative stigma surrounding cancer is going to affect people economically. I’ve seen communities rally around people who have been diagnosed with cancer to help support them economically by hosting fundraisers and making meals for the patient and their families to help with the economic burden of cancer treatments. If a community finds having cancer shameful, they will not be inclined to help the individual with cancer or their family economically if the family needs economic support. If a family or patient cannot afford cancer treatment, both the family and the patient suffer from both not receiving the necessary treatment and from knowing that there is nothing that they can do to get the treatment if they cannot afford it, which leads to another aspect of the fight against cancer that a negative stigma can affect.
A negative perception of cancer is also going to affect the person with cancer and their family emotionally. A friend of mine said that the support that he received from friends and family when he was diagnosed with leukemia played a huge role in helping him get through his toughest days, and that he could not imagine having to go through his cancer treatments without the support of all the people around him. As humans, we draw strength from each other; and positivity, kindness, and words of encouragement are infectious and desperately needed in all situations and especially valuable in our toughest moments. While feeling supported will not cure cancer, positivity and support, even in a small amount, can never hurt. A negative stigma surround cancer negates the chance of the person with cancer receiving the support that they need from the people around them, and unfortunately could leave them feeling incredibly alone.
Another aspect of the fight against cancer that a negative stigma can affect is research. If people have a negative perception about cancer, they are not going to want to donate to cancer organizations or even listen to what these organizations are saying. Organizations that support cancer research will not receive the support that they need to function, and cancer research will not be adequately funded. Furthermore, governments may feel less inclined to help fund cancer research if they fear losing the support of their people, or even a small portion of their supporters, over this issue. Cancer research is extremely expensive and multifaceted because not all cancers can be treated the same way so many drugs and therapies are needed. This means that strong funding is absolutely necessary to continue to make advances towards finding a cure for cancer.
Finding a cure for cancer has not and will not be easy, and neither will changing the negative stigma surrounding. I’m sure that there are many areas of life that this negative stigma can affect for cancer patients and their families, but the above mentioned areas were what I immediately thought of during Dr. Zafar’s lecture. After thinking about these areas, I believe that in order to truly find a cure for cancer, we also need to work to change this negative stigma surrounding cancer in order to give people fighting cancer the support that they need and deserve.
I totally agree that when we fight against cancer we should also fight against the negative stigma of it. In Psychological field, one's emotion has a great impact on others, so the negative thoughts about cancer and the helpless emotion after we heard somebody we know got cancer would indirectly infect the patient's motivation of fighting against the disease.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in the reality it is difficult to erase the stigma from people especially those people formed a stigma from their experience. For example, if somebody had his or her loved one died of cancer, the person would tend to believe cancer is a fatal and uncurable disease, and this person would form a negative stigma toward cancer which is very difficult to be changed. In addition, the more important thing is that how do we know who has the negative stigma and who do not? Even myself writing this comment and saying that people should fight against stigma of cancer may has a stigma of cancer.
Before we try to erase the negative sigma of cancer, we should let people know they have it, let people recognize the intangible perspective that leading them to the wrong way.
Elizabeth, thank you for your comments on this negative stigma surrounding cancer and Phoebe thank you for your thoughts on this stigma. From reading your points I am led inclined to play a bit of devil's advocate. For of course we see the negative side effects of this poor stigma and how it can effect patients for the worse, but I think we can definitely understand why the society holds such a stigma and I think it might be very difficult to change such stigma. If around the world, most cancer patients die, then of course society will adopt the belief that the idea of a patient surviving is hopeless. In a hospital these patients may be overlooked, for nothing can be done.
ReplyDelete(sorry my blog sent before I meant it to)
DeleteIn summary, this unfortunate stigma has practical and understandable origins and the stigma will not change unless cancer treatment and care is better assessed and prioritized worldwide. Unfortunately there is this precedented stigma that will affect the ability for this to change.
Stigmatization is often something that is rooted deep within a culture or groups of people, making it even more difficult to tackle. I think that a hugely influential method of trying to overcome stigma is through education. Perhaps through community-based education projects we would be better able to combat the global issue of cancer stigma. This could involve collaborative efforts between physicians, program leaders, and respected members of the community, such as church leaders and persons working within the service industry. Personal stories and cancer education could help increase empathy and general understanding within the targeted area.
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