[vc_video link=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSbC8UEsBXE’]
Thousands of patients are diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) annually around the world. CML, like any other cancer, does not discriminate. It affects people from all regions and walks of life. However, unlike many other cancers, CML has an amazing story due to advancements made in its treatment in the last decade. It was only 15 years ago that a patient newly diagnosed with CML would have a prognosis of survival of less than 5 years with the treatments available at the time.
The story of CML goes hand in hand with how lives can be changed even in remote areas of the world once patients have access to the latest treatment, regardless of affordability. Each one of the three cancer survivors and advocates featured in the video want you to know that life and survival is dear to all, regardless of where you are from. They tell their individual stories of survival and are able to share it with us because they were given the gift of life when they so needed it. Now, they are able to give of themselves to other patients. Today we will be sharing the powerful stories of how access to treatment, especially in remote areas, can change the course of the relationship between disease and patient. We invite you to listen to these stories and call on you to join us and urge your respective governments to lay the pathway for access to treatment for all cancer patients and give the gift of life, hope and dignity that every patient deserves.
The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 28 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope.
In all these years, through all of the struggle and emotional upheaval of her diagnosis, Hira remained her active and busy self. She never missed her daily routine of the wharf and the bazaar, nor did she let her work and routine come in the way of her managing her CML.
Getting a diagnosis and treatment for rare diseases is challenging, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Punam from Nepal endured months of symptoms before she found out she had paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare and debilitating disease that causes red blood cells to break apart. “I stayed in the hospital for 45 days before….
I have learned that the pain in the heart and soul is deep and will always be there. The ‘bucket’ has a hole, and even when you dedicate every day of your life to making sure other families don’t have to live with this pain, the bucket will never be filled. I have also learned….
