[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.
By Cathy Scheepers Africa Region Head for The Max Foundation A group of women sits around a lunch table, smiling and engaged. A burst of laughter catches my attention, and for a moment, I can imagine the scene unfolding on the patio of a restaurant not in a hospital cafeteria. Today is the first time….
We’ve already seen lots of activity around the world this spring: The first gastrointestinal stromal tumor patient meeting in Hyderabad, India; storytelling workshops where people facing cancer learn to share their experience with dignity and hope; and the Malaysia patient team takes their gathering public with a great picnic! See what else has been happening at The Max Foundation during the first part of 2016.
For many people facing cancer, the “last mile” in treatment access is a long, expensive, and recurring journey. But in Constantine’s case, even this journey may not be enough. The distance itself is not so far but the journey is long – 8 hours by public buses and transport. Constantine, like so many others around the world, has a rare form of leukemia called CML (chronic myeloid leukemia).
