"We have the apparatus to make the control of cancer real, and the mobilization of community to do it," said Stephen Lewis, during his People vs. Cancer Tour talk at the Minto Centre March 25.
Lewis, a professor of global health at McMaster University who has worked extensively in Africa as the UN secretary-general’s special envoy ambassador with HIV/AIDS, discussed the importance of cancer control, prevention and awareness about non-communicable diseases.
“As Canada ages, the incidence of cancer will rise because older people are more susceptible to it,” said Lewis.
Currently, one in three people in Canada are diagnosed with cancer and this number is expected to increase to one in two within the next 10 years.
“The traditional stories of eat healthy, stay active, don’t smoke, get screened, aren’t having the impact they could,” said Pat Kelly, organizer of the Campaign to Control Cancer.
The main message of histalksto students is that cancer can be prevented and there can be a 40 per cent reduction in the number of cases, affecting millions of people.
Over the course of one generation, if cancer rates were reduced “there would be 1.2 million fewer cancer cases in Canada over the course of 25 to 30 years, 400,000 fewer deaths, and there would be $39 billion saved in health costs,” Lewis said.
Canada has the potential to be a great influence, Kelly said, as we have a publicly funded health care system, a remarkable research capacity and a lot of expertise in the area.
Typically, cancer awareness programs are about raising money or encouraging people to participate in screening programs, but what makes the People vs. Cancer tour different is its focus on getting students engaged and concerned about the issues surrounding cancer.
“With the older generation there is a bit of hesitancy to say, this is how I think, this is how I feel and get emotionally committed to a cause,” said Relay for Life organizer Heather Page.
“You don’t have to be a cancer expert to be a cancer leader,” said Kelly, who recruited the help of Steve Hildebrand, national campaign manager for United States President Barack Obama, to make the information more accessible to students.
Relay for Life organizer Komal Minhas, who opened the talks, said it’s important that we bring a community dialogue to Carleton. Currently, there has been one coffeehouse to talk about survivors and their experiences.
“Cancer is such a taboo topic and for our leaders to not be talking about it is an embarrassment,” said Lauren Ott, a first-year political science student who attended the talk.
During his talk Lewis reminded students about the impact of pressuring the government to get cancer control and non-communicable diseases on the agenda of the G8/G20 talks in June and during the summit of world leaders at the UN in September.
“It would be a turning point within Canada,” Lewis said. “But what really is required is that a younger generation understands what may be in store.”