19 November 2020

Shhh…Say Nothing!

“You did IT plenty?”

This was a comment made by a male friend when I told him of my cervical cancer diagnosis. He was referring to my sexual activity. The shame I felt after his comment made me stop talking about my diagnosis.

The memory has stayed with me until now.

It took many months of encouragement from a female friend to finally have the courage to say, “My name is Diana Gittens. I was diagnosed with Stage 3B cervical cancer.”

Sadly, along my journey, I became increasingly aware of the stigma that prevents women from speaking about their diagnosis. They have admitted to being silenced by the words and actions towards their diagnosis. This includes the healthcare professionals misconstruing “promiscuity” as a risk factor for cervical cancer whilst placing little or no emphasis on women with single partner being diagnosed with the condition.  Fear of judgement prevents them from sharing their cervical cancer journey.

After over eight years of cervical cancer advocacy, I still hear the voice saying, “Shhh… Say Nothing! They will judge you”.

However, I listen to the loud, powerful cries of women seeking life-saving information about the symptoms, treatment and impact of cervical cancer on my life. And I will keep listening to the amazing, strength-filled journeys whispered to me by the women too shy to come forward and I will be their voice.

I will use every opportunity to share our common stories to increase awareness and motivate women to get screened.

I MUST say SOMETHING!

30 November 2020

Strength in Numbers

The sting of the stigma associated with cervical cancer sometimes paled in comparison to my other challenges. At every phase of my cancer journey, my challenges, questions and support needs differed. However, one thing remained constant; it was my need for a community. Here I could share my journey and be inspired by the journeys of my peers.

These communities included the men and women at my treatment centres and online forums. From each other, we learnt valuable lessons about our condition, survivorship and most importantly, how to thrive. These were lessons, insights and the type of support that our healthcare providers could not lend us.

Beyond medical treatment, there is the need for the kind of support I received and continue to receive through the connections I created. The opportunities for this are many a times restricted due to the layout of the healthcare facilities, their policies and culture.

Now COVID-19 has further complicated and severely affected the interactions of these communities.

My thoughts and energies are now focused on how we can remove the “silence barrier” and consistently strive to strengthen networks and communities. Through them, many of our questions are answered, fears quelled, and hopes are fuelled. COVID-19 has forced us to rely more on technology such as Zoom and WhatsApp to provide and receive support. Thus, we need to improve awareness, foster appreciation and facilitate access to the communication and collaboration tools available.

This sentiment is shared not only by those living with cancer, but also by many others from the NCD community. Thus, we need to unite our voices and call on governments, private sectors and civil society to support the creation of enabling environments. This can be achieved through access to knowledge and the provision of resources and skills needed to meet the unique needs of various communities.