Throughout the month of October, as we celebrate the Maximize Life Campaign, we’ve invited team members to share stories of dignity and hope from patients and caregivers. We share these stories so they may inspire you to raise your voice, fight the stigma cancer carries, and offer hope to all. Read the previous post in the series.
When Ka came to Thailand for access to treatment, she had the chance to join the MaxSmiles patient group meetings. Ka started to dream about having her own meetings and soon found support from Dr. Mary Cluck, an Australian volunteer working with Cambodian CML patients. Ka stepped up and called the patients one-by-one to invite them to their first patient meeting.
On January 11th 2013, Ka’s first patient meeting was underway! We offered MaxSmiles T-shirts and bags to all in attendance. There was a patient education session from Dr. Mary (as they call her in Cambodia) in Khmer language, and there was Q&A session. Lunch was traditional Khmer food, prepared with love by Ka’s mother. Ka’s friends even sang a song they wrote which became the group theme song! On that day, Max Miracle was founded in Cambodia.
As I always say, Ka never gives up! She does anything to make her dreams come true. She made history with Max Miracle by being one of the first patient groups for CML patients in Cambodia!
During the 2010 Maximize Life Campaign, The Max Foundation in South Africa created a message board within one of the largest libraries in Pretoria. The objective of the wall was for members of the public to write messages of encouragement and hope to those living with cancer. Following the campaign, the messages would be distributed to cancer patients and caregivers and posted on The Max Foundation website – spreading hope and decreasing isolation.
Spending time at the wall I soon realized that a secondary objective was reached. People were not only writing messages, but they were openly engaging in dialogue with those around them, all sharing stories about cancer. The wall was no longer a static receiver of messages, it had become an active encourager of cancer conversations amongst strangers. Behind every short message was a longer story to be told, people want to talk about cancer. We are all affected by cancer, and platforms such as the Maximize Life Campaign not only allow us to gather as strangers for a cause, but leads us to being friends in victory.
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.
I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to raise a family of six with a minimum educational background, as a sole provider for the family. I have the privilege of working with so many patients in Cambodia, I get to hear different story, life experiences. Every story is unique. Every day, I am….
Janaki is a happy 22-year-old woman living in Nepal and working at Century Bank. But this has not always been the case for her. At the ripe age of ten years old, Janaki’s physical health began to deteriorate, and her family was left searching for answers. With the financial burden being too much for her….
The Indian subcontinent has always been characterized by the stoic inner strength of its population that has helped them overcome natural and man-made disasters that seem to always be lying in wait for them. Burdened by their large populations, poor economy and the inept administration of their largely unstable governments, it has fallen upon the people to come to their own rescue.
And it is not so different for their health either. Besides the share of debilitating infectious diseases, many are facing a rising incidence of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer. The challenges here go beyond funding. There is fear, denial, and the heavy burden of stigma.
