| The C word - spoken with reverence, or not spoken | | | | fruit, vegetables, omega 3 acids and doctors advising a |
| of at all - is something many people fear. The truth is | | | | non-smoking regime, coupled with regular exercise. |
| that, if caught quickly - typically, in the early stages - | | | | Recognising symptoms is an important part in fighting |
| the disease can often be dealt with efficiently. This is | | | | the disease; blood in the toilet, or being coughed up, are |
| not to say it doesn't have its drawbacks - cancer is a | | | | signs that things are not right inside the body. It's |
| scary word, despite the success rate that is soaring, | | | | important to have these signs checked out at the |
| due to advances in medical science and better | | | | earliest possible opportunity, although in the majority of |
| monitoring. | | | | cases, tests may show nothing as serious as cancer. |
| The typical reaction to being told one has cancer, is a | | | | For example, blood in urine can be a result of a urinary |
| dignified silence and a total disbelief of the facts; only | | | | infection; but in all cases, it should be checked out; tests |
| later - perhaps an hour, or a day, or a week later - | | | | may include biopsies (small pieces of tissue) being |
| does the significance of a diagnosis start to sink in - | | | | taken, for lab analysis. |
| and then, people will react differently. Some maintain a | | | | Lumps in tissue should also be checked out with a |
| dignified acceptance of the illness and place faith in | | | | doctor; regular self-testing is advised, in order to detect |
| their doctors and oncology specialists, while others fall | | | | changes in the body; unless one is certain a lump isn't a |
| apart, shun society, or become angry and inconsolable | | | | problem - many women find they get 'lumpy' breasts |
| as they bear the unbearable. | | | | during menstruation, for example - then it should be |
| It can be a killer; many people succumb to the illness, | | | | examined by a doctor. Men also should check for |
| never recover; or they wilt slowly, as the cancer takes | | | | lumps in their private areas - it's important to |
| control, or spreads. For some, it's a time of waiting to | | | | self-examine, particularly as a man ages - prostate |
| die; for others, it's a slow, painful process, that no-one | | | | and testicular problems increase with age, especially |
| would ever wish on anyone. Death, to many in this | | | | once past the 40 mark. |
| scenario, is a blessing, not only to the cancer sufferer, | | | | Cancer will never be eradicated; it's a disease, primarily |
| but those near and dear, who may have watched the | | | | of the older person, but no-one is 'immune'; it's thought |
| decline of a loved one. | | | | that 1 in 3 of the population will experience some form |
| The secret to beating cancer is to catch it early, or | | | | of cancer during their lives. However, with proper care, |
| take measures to thwart it, before it takes hold. Diet | | | | a proper lifestyle, and regular monitoring, there s no |
| and lifestyle are a key to this prevention, with | | | | reason why anyone should not be in with a fighting |
| nutritionists advising healthy eating, with such things as | | | | chance against this awful disease. |