In my life, I have looked at my mother as a tower of strength because she survived losing a child. Surviving is what most grieving parents do for it is a loss from which most never recover.
The fact that children also die is a reminder that death is indiscriminate. Still, when it is the young who have barely experienced the joys of life and are denied the chance to grow from trials, who often in their short lives would have endured intolerable pain because of illness or have their lives cut off by way of tragedy, it is difficult to comprehend and accept.
We must stand with the parents who recently lost their children at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Curwayne Edwards, Roshani Seegobin and Sharezer Mendonca, all cancer patients, died in the month of January. There are suspicions that a medication all three children received was perhaps a factor in their deaths. The use of the drug has since been discontinued, but until investigations are completed no conclusions can be made.
It is no secret that many people are injured or killed yearly by medical misdiagnosis and treatment. Sometimes lives are lost by way of experimental drugs, which is often excused as being for the ‘greater good.’ But is it ever okay to experiment on people when there is the potential to harm them in the process? Disregard for some lives is a thread that runs throughout history. But we all are mind, body and spirit and the value of our lives should be measured the same.
The “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male,” which took place between 1932 and 1972 in Alabama, in the United States, is an example of an unethical clinical study. The study was conducted without the victims’ consent. The aim was to measure the natural progression of syphilis and so those who were a part of the study were not given treatment and many died.
Today, in places like the United States, there are systems in place for people who have been injured through medical malpractice. There is a ‘National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program,’ for example, for people who have been harmed by vaccination. In many countries, people can also sue hospitals. But here in Guyana, though many of us may have relatives and friends who have been seriously injured or died because of medical malpractice, there are few lawsuits, no programmes to compensate and, therefore, no justice. Often efforts are made to quiet the victims and their relatives and they may be offered a pittance for their suffering.
The recent deaths of the children brought to the fore, thoughts about medical malpractice, and also about the cancer epidemic. Cancer is causing great devastation in our society. Family members have succumbed and survived. Friends of friends, acquaintances, public figures, it is a disease which spares no face, race or class and seems to have no end in sight.
When I was growing up, cancer seemed like a mysterious illness. One person you knew might have been suffering or died from the disease. Frail men and women, skin losing colour, and eyes sunken are the images I often imagined. A few years ago, was the first time I came face to face with cancer and its horrific effects. An aunt of mine was stricken with breast cancer, was on her death bed and I watched her deteriorate in a matter of days. It was another disturbing event in my life that made me question the purpose of life and suffering.
There are many suspicions about what causes cancer. According to the World Health Organization, cancer is the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells and can affect any part of the body – normal cells are transformed into tumour cells. It is the second leading cause of death globally and around one-third of cancers are due to behavioural as well as dietary factors, such as alcohol and tobacco use, low fruit and vegetable intake, high body mass index and lack of physical activity.
Infections, such as the Human Papilloma virus, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, are also said to cause cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, there may be environmental factors in which we are exposed to chemicals and radiation. Some such factors include asbestos, arsenic, antiperspirants, cosmetics, formaldehyde and hair dyes, just to name a few. Even cell phones and microwaves may also be factors in causing cancer.
So, what are we to do? Sometimes it seems that no matter what measures we take to increase our chances of longevity, factors beyond our control can harm us. It is the reason many do not worry about diet or exercise. Some people drink excessively, smoke, and eat whatever satisfies them because they have accepted that death is inevitable and believe that nothing will make a difference. Personally, I believe that we can try to live a healthy lifestyle to enjoy a better quality of life. Though there are factors beyond our control, we might save ourselves from some needless suffering. For example, most of us can avoid diseases like diabetes if we take dietary measures. It is devastating and disheartening to see images such as an old man, without both legs, lying on a hospital bed, being fed, cleaned and clothed by his relatives. That was a sight I have been unable to erase from my memory after visiting a friend in the hospital.
Taking time to care for our bodies should be a priority. Holding those accountable who assault and kill people by administering wrong doses of medicine, who prescribe wrong medication and misdiagnose, resulting in death or long-term suffering, should also be a priority. Too many people have suffered and lost their lives in Guyana because of medical malpractice.
If the investigations conclude such is case in the deaths of the children, there are not enough words or money that will heal their relatives or calm their grief. I am sure they would rather have their children live again.
Too often families are forced to keep quiet. Too many people have died, not only at the Georgetown Public Hospital but at other public and private institutions, whose deaths could have been avoided. Too many have been permanently injured. As Guyanese, we deserve better and should demand better.
