It’s time to give out some roses, but this isn’t Valentine’s Day - you may say. Well, it’s still a time to show some love. Somewhere in the 1900s a Canadian young lady was determined to live life to the fullest while she fought the biggest battle of her life, the fight for her life. She had a rare cancer of the blood and she bravely underwent all the treatment procedures available then. During this period, she wrote poems, letters, sent mails, went to school, travelled to places, met with new people, met others with various cancers and encouraged them and she even visited some at the hospitals and gave them rose flowers as well to show them love and care.

Some of these cancer patients were able to open up about their conditions because of this young lady. At the age of 12, Melinda Rose finally succumbed to the overwhelming cruelty of the disease hence the campaign World Rose Day on the 22nd of September to remind us to care for those with cancers and to end the stigmatization that comes with it.

Cancers are just abnormal cells which never stop growing. Usually, cells would grow and die at a point to be replaced by new ones, but these cells tend to grow uncontrollably while dividing and sometimes spread to other parts of the body destroying the body tissues as they spread. Some cancer cells do grow into tumours (not all tumours are cancerous). WHO records that nearly 10 million people worldwide died as a result of Cancers in the year 2020; the most common of these cancers were;

1. Lung cancer (1.8 million deaths)
2. Colon and rectum cancer (916,000 deaths)
3. Liver cancer (830,000 deaths)
4. Stomach cancer (769,000 deaths)
5. Breast cancer (685,000 deaths)

Other kinds of cancers include, prostate cancer, skin cancer, Leukaemia (cancer of the blood), etc. We will later look at each of these cancers but these cancers do have their primary causes (carcinogens) which are put in three categories;

1. Chemical carcinogens such as tobacco smoke (a typical cause of lung cancer), alcohol (increases risk of breast, throat, mouth, liver and stomach cancers) and aflatoxins (usually contained in food (maize or nut type of foods) and can cause liver cancers when taken in large doses).
2. Physical carcinogens such as ultraviolet (long term exposure to sun rays or other artificial sources of UV) and ionizing radiations (nuclear radiations and gamma radiations).
3. Biological carcinogens such as viruses (HPV for example could cause cervical cancer), bacteria or parasites. Cancers can be genetic and hence increases the risk of falling victim to the disease.

Some helpful ways to prevent cases of cancer includes;

1. Avoiding tobacco usage.
2. Eating healthy diets including fruits and veggies.
3. Getting physical. (Don’t lazy about all day).
4. Avoiding too much exposure to sunlight especially if you’re light skinned or fair-coloured.
5. Reduce exposure to air pollution.
6. Avoid alcohol usage.
7. Getting vaccinated against viral diseases like Hepatitis and HPV.

The risk of cancer increases with age since the body cells aren’t able to repair and replicate as fast as they used to, hence the more reason to avoid taking in harmful or toxic substances like alcohol and tobacco. Early detection of cancer helps to increase the chances of getting cured, so be sure to report any irregularities in your body to the hospital or to our doctors here at Pharst Care. Take some time off to visit a cancer patient, give them a rose, be nice, care for them. People suffering from the disease need to be encouraged and supported especially when they start treatment. They might look different or not look approachable but they are human. And to all the people with cancer out there, Pharst Care says stay strong, it's not easy doing all those tests and chemo sessions, but you're not alone in this battle. There will always be a bright day after the dark night. This is our rose flower to you on World Rose Day, stay safe and stay alive. The pharmacy is in your pocket.