World Lymphoma Awareness Day

Facial Burkitt's lymphoma in 7-year-old Nigerian boy, showing disruption of teeth and partial obstruction of airway. (Image: Mike Blyth, via Wikimedia Commons)

World Lymphoma Awareness Day is held on September 15 every year and is a day dedicated to raising awareness of lymphoma. This year Campaigning for Cancer, CHOC,

The Sunflower Fund, Faces of Hope Foundation, KZN Lymphoma Support Group and Roche Products (Pty) Ltd join forces in a united campaign to inform the public about lymphoma, its signs and symptoms, treatment options and how it affects the lives of thousands of South African's.

The theme 'I am the Voice of Lymphoma' will profile survivors of the disease and promote early detection and treatment.

Lymphoma does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age or culture. It is a type of blood cancer that develops when an error occurs in the production of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell which helps fight infection, resulting in abnormal cells that become cancerous. However prognosis does not have to be fatal, and in fact aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma can be cured.

Symptoms of lymphoma, and in particular Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (which is the most common type of lymphoma) can be similar to flu and tuberculosis symptoms, often leading to misdiagnosis. Symptoms include low energy, unexplained fever, swollen glands, coughs and breathlessness, persistent itching all over the body and weight loss.

Two types

There two types of Lymphoma - Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL). They can be distinguished from each other microscopically, but present similar symptoms. The 'I am the Voice of Lymphoma' campaign aims to educate the public through the 'voices' of seven diverse survivors who've conquered both types of the cancer.

Take Bilal Teladia. At 9-years old mysterious moods caused his mother to drag him to various doctors with no-one able to detect a cause for his anxiety and aggression. A baffling limp presented itself in Bilal along with exhaustion and immense weight loss.

After two biopsies, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) was diagnosed. Three years later Bilal has survived relentless chemotherapy and is now in remission.

A teenager bravely steps forward, her story lighting a path for others afflicted with Lymphoma. Leigh Novis' symptoms began when she was 14-years old, with lumps appearing under her arms and on her neck, followed by excruciating pain in her hips. Painful bone marrow tests revealed she suffered from Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL). Like Bilal, she is in remission after a heroic course of chemotherapy treatment.

63-year-old Hendrik Van Zyl and (add Johan's age) Johann Enslin are both NHL survivors.

Both men had a history of excellent physical health until their symptoms began to show.

Both went through a gruelling course of chemotherapy and coming out of their ordeal are stronger in their spirits. They lend their voices to the World Lymphoma Awareness Day in order, as Hendrik says, 'to help others'.

Common threads

Survivor's stories hold several threads in common, the most prominent being the realisation that they are not the only ones to be diagnosed with lymphoma, there are those who have gone before them and lost the fight, and those who, like them, have survived. A huge sense of humility prevails with a deeper hunger for life and sense of mission.

Media are encouraged to add their voice to the "I am the Voice of Lymphoma" campaign.

Join Campaigning for Cancer, CHOC, The Sunflower Fund, Faces of Hope Foundation, KZN Lymphoma Support Group and Roche Products (Pty) Ltd on the 14th September at for a media launch in Johannesburg where survivors will tell their stories to stress the importance of paying attention to symptoms and getting timeous treatment. More importantly lymphoma will gain a human slant inspiring hope that lives can be rebuilt and optimism abounds for thousands on World Lymphoma Awareness Day on 15 September.

Visit: www.lymphomalife.net and www.lymphomacoalition.org for more information.

Facebook group: I am the voice of Lymphoma

Source:
[1] GLOBOCAN 2002: Descriptive Epidemiology Group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
[2] Ibid