Integrative cancer and oncology news with articles and the latest news on cancer.
Chaos. Haoc. Devastation.
I was there.
9.30 am Boxing Day. Phuket. My hotel 60 metres from Karon beach. The wave went past the front door and missed us. How, I’m not sure.
We evacuated; drove to high ground. No one knew anything; even the officials and the police. Ignorance ruled and so did danger. I was still there the next morning as the fourth ’aftershock’ hit. This time a mere 5.9 on the Richter scale, but just off Phuket.
Over 200,000 dead, and a figure likely to increase. Millions of lives affected.
The saddest thing was that two American Scientists, having seen the original earthquake on their seismology charts, claimed that they could have prevented many of the deaths if only there had been an early warning system in place: Government bodies prepared to listen, to co-ordinate and to pass on the evidence and views of specialists. If only someone had been listening. The British people have magnificently contributed over 200 million to the disaster fund. The scale of the tragedy is awesome but the stable door was open, the horse has bolted.
But then I returned to the UK, and to my cancer mission. In the next twelve months in the UK alone 270,000 people will develop cancer, 150,000 will die from it, millions of lives will be affected. Across the globe the death toll is a mere 6 million! One in two men reading this, one in three women will be affected. Macmillan and a panel of experts say the toll will triple in the next twenty years. A tidal wave whose energy actually grows without check. Cancer Research UK are dedicated to increasing clinical trials with new drugs. Macmillan to care. Both do an excellent job - rather like relief aid workers. Vast resources but all rather too late.
What we desperately need is a cancer early warning system; a body set up to provide information on prevention expressed practically, relevantly and in an actionable way, to a government and population prepared to listen. A body that can also provide information and calm the moment the wave does ’hit’.
But of course we now have that body. CANCERactive.
In its infancy, true, and yet to make its presence and abilities really felt, but CANCERactive has the potential to be your cancer early warning system, the true people’s champion.
This magazine is just an example of our first efforts. There’s far more to come as you will see as this new year evolves. People still ask us to cover more cancers which we will do. And, we will be moving to a three-month publishing cycle.
But we do need your help; your donations and your energy. Remember, please. We have one single aim. We’re here to prevent people dying from cancer.
Before the tidal wave engulfs us all.