Childhood cancer is not a disease which only affects the 30 odd percent of South Africans who are under the age of 18. Childhood cancer affects 100% of our country's population. Every single person, in every single town and city across the land, in every neighborhood, each and every street, every house, without exception, knows a child.
Why then is there such a complete and utter lack of childhood cancer awareness in South Africa?
I have a few guesses, and I do not claim to have the answers. The answers lie within each individual person's heart.
I think that South Africans are pretty much desensitized. If you walk out of KFC on a Friday night with your take- aways, there is a good chance that you will pass a man with no legs on the sidewalk, asking for money or food. When you stop at an intersection, dirty little child faces peer at you through the window, bare feet in the rain, hands outstretched for alms. We see old people living on the streets, their families having abandoned them, we see newspaper reports of newborns found in rubbish bins.
And we have learned to turn the blind eye. We start random conversations with whomever is with us, so that we can pretend not to hear. We have been conditioned not to care, because caring means hurt, and who in their right minds would want to hurt themselves, make themselves vulnerable, in a world where only the strongest survive?
So, my reasoning is that South Africans have become experts in living life blindly, simply to protect themselves.
And, let's face it, childhood cancer is not pleasant. It is easier living without the knowledge than it is living the reality.
Another thought of mine is, with life having become so comfortable for South Africans, we think we are untouchable. We might see and hear about childhood cancer, we might even belong to some childhood cancer support pages on facebook, but, we believe we are immune. It will never happen to me...yeah right.
Childhood cancer is not a picky disease, it does not give a damn about whether or not you eat organic foods, whether or not you are pink, purple or green, it does not care to whom you pray, or even if you pray. It sneaks up like a terrorist, a well trained one at that, and might have been living in your home, in your child, while you were none the wiser. It might be living there right now, and you are the one shaking your head in dismissal.
Be(A)ware.
I recon Government is also to blame for the lack of childhood cancer awareness. This is not a scapegoat, this is fact. Government pulled their finger in spectacular fashion to create awareness about HIV/AIDS. Very well done. One needs to give credit where credit is due. They saw a great opportunity for foreign aid to South Africa, so they designed and implemented an awesome campaign.
However, childhood cancer is responsible for more child deaths in South Africa than HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis COMBINED. Do they not see the urgency of creating awareness for childhood cancer then? Surely the Health Ministry should have the statistics at their fingertips, and surely they can do something, anything, even if it is just a public acknowledgement?
And where is the media? Surely a story which affects 100% of the country's population is worth telling, worth documenting? But yet, we support the media in providing us with the slops because we buy the newspapers and the magazines. We actually give them money so we can turn around and say, "there was nothing really newsworthy in there anyway."
Well, I have news for you, childhood cancer is tearing this country apart. Emotionally, financially, socially. Ripping the gut out of the next generation which will be expected to carry this country. If there is no next generation to take over from us, where does that leave us in 20 or 30 years when we are too old to work and support South Africa's economy, but the children could never grow up because we let them die now?
You think I am exaggerating. Understand the stats then and tell me I am wrong. 200 000 new cases of childhood cancer was diagnosed last year World wide. It is expected that the increase of cases diagnosed will be in excess of 70% by 2020. Diagnosed cases of childhood cancer is reputed to be only a third of the actual amount of children who have cancer. 80% of children diagnosed with cancer live in developing countries, such as South Africa. Think about it.
So, where does that leave children with cancer if we as individuals shy away because we can't take their pain, if the Government does not seem to even know what is going on in their hospitals, if the media chooses to publish what sells in stead of what matters?
It leaves them without a voice. Bound and gagged, attached to their chemo lines and isolated in radiation tunnels.
Where we can have peace of mind...because it will never happen to us. Right?
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