"Show that you care about your family! It starts with you!" is the exhortation given on Friday by the Liberal Women's Organization of the municipality of Buzau, in collaboration with Asociația „Investește pentru Viitorul Tău” Buzău in an action aimed at informing and raising awareness of the risks and prevention measures of breast cancer. On the other hand, the event raises an alarm about the large number of women suffering from this disease, given that Buzăul had 2,300 people diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
The meeting brought together almost 40 women who, for two hours, learned from oncologists and public health specialists what breast cancer means, while a psychologist explained to them how strong the imprint this diagnosis has on the psyche.
"Beyond the seriousness of the disease, breast cancer also has a major psychological impact, it causes a state of shock and stress now because mastectomy affects women's body image, confidence and self-esteem, and depression, anger, anxiety, fear, worry can also occur. After such shocking news, the patient goes through a series of stages and psychological reactions such as denial or refusal to accept the validity of the diagnosis, anger when the disease is perceived as an undeserved punishment, after which depression, isolation, feelings of self-devaluation may appear. In the last stage, the person accepts to live with the disease, and the patient wants to take advantage of every moment of her life", Mihaela Frațilă, psychologist.
However, many women reach the doctor too late, and the greatest suffering in Romania is disease prevention. Oncologists talk about women's fear of learning such a tragic diagnosis.
"Unfortunately, I can tell you that, recently, many nurses have sought me out, who should have had a medical education, and who were diagnosed with cancer in an advanced stage. For me it is surprising because I realize that there is fear", explained Radu Serescu, oncologist in Buzău County Hospital.
The same thing was confirmed by the doctor Adrian Zoican, the head of UPU Buzău, who, in turn, said that since the beginning of the year more than 400 women who presented themselves at the Emergency Department remained hospitalized and were later diagnosed with breast cancer.
"The most exposed to breast cancer are women who have already had diagnosed patients in their family. Romanian society suffers from the point of view of prevention. And now, many ladies are afraid to go to doctors, either because of the lack of information, or, in this period, for fear of infection with SARS-CoV-2", pointed out Adrian Zoican.
A story with a happy ending was shared with those present by Vlad Mircea Pufu. The PNL candidate for the Senate spoke about the moments he went through and especially what he learned from the experience lived in his own family, when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
"When we are faced with such a diagnosis, the family also suffers, sometimes even more intensely than the diagnosed one. I went through something like this. I have a story with my mother and I know what the close ones and the family of the patient are going through. A diagnosis like this hits you hard. It completely destroys your comfort zone, the family is turned upside down and you start looking for information. You wonder what you are doing, where to call, what is happening to you... The first place we access is the Internet, but, from my experience, the internet is not enough. Because there is also a lot of fakeness. And you don't know who to turn to.
The health system in Romania suffers because of this. There are no committees of specialists assembled next to the diagnostic centers. However, a solution is represented by this new job, namely "patient navigators". These specialists can get you, as a patient, as well as your family, out of that area where you are totally confused and help you get over the health system. Basically, they recommend the best doctors who suit you, namely the best surgeons, oncologists and those who deal with diagnosis", said Vlad Mircea Pufu, PNL candidate for the Senate.
The best lesson that anyone who has gone through such an experience, and which all other women should learn, would be regular check-ups with the doctor.
"Another message I would like to convey today also comes from personal experience. I can tell you what my mother regrets after this experience, which fortunately for us is a story with a happy ending. After the operation, and six years have passed since then, my mother said that if she had gone to the doctor earlier, she would have discovered that nodule seven years before," said Vlad Mircea Pufu.
The same call to take better care of health came from Camelia Benchescu, second on the list of PNL candidates for the Chamber of Deputies.
"Breast cancer is a difficult disease, but, as shown by the color pink, which is the emblematic color for prevention, it also shows hope. If we are careful with ourselves and discover in time the small signals that the body gives us, the chances of success and victory over this disease are very, very high", said Camelia Benchescu, the second PNL candidate on the proposed list for the Chamber of Deputies
The event ended with a moment when the participants released pink balloons into the sky as a sign of solidarity for patients diagnosed with breast cancer.
Between 19:00 and 20:00 the Children's Palace headquarters was illuminated in pink, the color representative of the campaigns for the prevention of breast cancer.
newsbuzau.ro