Nawalan si Neha Kumar ng ina dahil sa breast cancer, dalawang taon lamang matapos itong ma-diagnose.
“I’ll never forget that phone call, because she said to me, ‘I was in the shower, this scab on my chest started to bleed.'
“She didn’t even want to say the word breast,” sabi ni Neha.
Aniya, huli na ang lahat para sa kanyang ina na si Renu, matapos nitong balewalain ang mga sintomas na nararamdaman niya.
Especially in South Asian communities, we never talk about our bodies, especially private parts of our bodies.
"She never said she had a scab there, or talked about finding a lump. In fact, I don’t think she was ever taught to scan her breasts."
Bukod sa stigma sa kultura tungkol sa breast at cervical screening, may iba pang hadlang tulad ng wika, kakulangan sa access, at takot.
Ayon kay General Practitioner Dr. Mariam Chaalan, mahalaga ang pagiging visible o bukas ng impormasyon upang mahikayat ang mga kababaihang mula sa CALD communities na lumahok sa mga pagsusuring pang-iwas sa sakit.
“It's about normalising the conversation, creating space for that trust, offering real choices, whether that's seeing a female GP or accessing interpreter services or doing that self collection,” ayon kay Dr. Chaalan, na bahagi ng kampanyang “Own It” ng pamahalaang pederal na nagtataguyod ng self-collect na cervical screening test.
It's not just another medical test, it's a chance to prevent cancer. And everyone deserves that chance no matter where they come from.
Tinatalakay sa SBS Examines episode na ito kung ano ang kailangang gawin upang matanggal ang stigma sa cancer screening para sa mga kababaihan mula sa CALD communities.
RELATED CONTENT:
SBS Examines sa wikang Filipino
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