The new campaign to cut bowel cancer deaths

Many younger people are getting bowel cancer

‘They told us he had piles, but it was bowel cancer’

When Chris Cowley started bleeding heavily during marathon training he was concerned, but not unduly so.

Two years earlier, his GP had told him that he had piles and he assumed it was a worsening of his condition.

He went back to his GP and was reassured again, but told to come back again within two weeks if it was no better.

It was not, and in 2008 his GP referred Chris to a specialist.

Multiple tumours

Within weeks 41-year-old Chris was told that he had bowel cancer and that it had spread to his liver.

Within 19 months he was dead.

“He was riddled with cancer,” said his wife Melissa.

He had a tumour in his rectum and 20 in his liver. It had spread to his lymph nodes and pelvis.

Chris tried numerous treatments

Melissa said: “I had done a bit of research the night before on bowel cancer and said to Chris ‘now we’re pretty sure this is bowel cancer and can cope with it’.

“I said ‘we are ready for it but we have to pray it has not gone to the liver’.

“We sat down and the consultant turned to us and said ‘I’m sorry to say it is cancer and it has gone to the liver’.

“At that point my world collapsed. I knew pretty much that was a terminal diagnosis.

“We went home in complete and utter shock.

“We saw an oncologist the next day who told us there was no cure.”

Younger risk grows

Melissa is angry that her husband’s cancer was not picked up sooner, but says there is an ignorance among some medics who assume it is an older person’s disease.

“They are too ready to dismiss things in that region. Chris had clear symptoms of bowel cancer.

“He should never have been sent home with rectal bleeding.”

BOWEL CANCER FACTS Bowel cancer is a disease of the large bowel (colon) or rectum. It is also sometimes called colorectal or colon cancer It is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer – claiming 16,000 lives each year Of the 100 new cases of bowel cancer diagnosed every day, almost half will die from the disease. Yet if caught in time, 90% of bowel cancer cases can be treated successfully

Although 95% of bowel cancer cases are in the over 50s, the incidence of bowel cancer in younger people is increasing rapidly.

Will Steward, professor of oncology at the University of Leicester, said the figures were causing concern.

He said an increase in the consumption of high-fat foods and decrease in the amount of exercise people take played a large part in the rise of bowel cancer.

“A survey last year showed the incidence of people under 30 had doubled over the last 10 years,” he said.

“It is mirrored in Australia and it is an amazing and very worrying change.

“I saw a 23-year-old in the clinic with colon cancer two weeks ago and you would never have seen that in the past.”

‘Cheeky warning’

In a bid to warn younger people about the signs and symptoms and to mark April’s awareness month, the charity Beating Bowel Cancer plans to use social networking sites to spread the message.

‘Cheeky Warning’ will use animated banner adverts to grab the attention of social media users and a campaign film featuring bowel cancer patients who have beaten the disease.

Hilary Whittaker, chief executive of Beating Bowel Cancer says, “‘Cheeky Warning’ is a fun campaign with a very important message.

THREE MAJOR SIGNS OF BOWEL CANCER Changes in bowel habit – such as prolonged constipation or diarrhoea Passing blood on or in stools, excluding haemorrhoids Cramping stomach pains

“Currently almost half of those diagnosed with bowel cancer will die from the disease, yet over 90% of cases could be successfully treated if diagnosed early.

“Awareness of symptoms is therefore essential to save lives from bowel cancer through early diagnosis.”

Melissa said that, while it was too late for a cure for Chris, he did have months of gruelling palliative chemotherapy.

“We would do anything to prolong his life, but to be honest neither of us really accepted he was going to die. We were in it to beat it.

“We were told upfront by the oncologist that the median survival was two years, but if you read around there are miracle cases that happen and we had pinned our hopes on him being one of them,” she said.

But his liver failed and Chris, a father of four young children, died in his bed at home.

No-one knows why Chris got the cancer as he had no genetic risk and ate and exercised well.

In April, Melissa is running the London Marathon to raise cash for bowel cancer research and to raise the profile of the disease.

“I don’t want Chris’s life to have been lost in vain. He was an amazing man, just the most incredible person. We adored each other.

“When he died our world fell apart, but since then we have continued to look to him to provide us with leadership and inspiration.

“We have done the things that he would have wanted us to do.”

Reference Link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8586783.stm

Courtesy
BBC News

Her 'duty' is helping Muslim women heal after abuse

NEW YORK (CNN) — Toward the end of her marriage, Rabia Iqbal said she feared for her life.

Robina Niaz said the Quran “condemns” abuse of women. “If we witness injustice, we’re required to speak up.”

Iqbal was born in New York to parents who had immigrated to the United States from the tribal areas of Pakistan. She had a strict Muslim upbringing and when she was 16, her parents arranged her marriage to a 38-year-old man. She claims her husband turned violent during their 10 years of marriage.

When she finally left him, she did not know where to turn. Going home wasn’t an option, she said.

“My parents … made clear that they would disown me,” Iqbal said. “My father even said … ‘You’re lucky you live in America because if you lived back home, you would have been dead by now.’ ”

She was hiding out in her office at work when a friend put her in touch with Robina Niaz, whose organization, Turning Point for Women and Families, helps female Muslim abuse victims.

“It was such a relief … to speak about things that … I thought no one would understand,” said Iqbal, who has received counseling from Niaz for more than two years and calls Niaz her “savior.”

“Robina understood the cultural nuances … the religious issues,” Iqbal said. Watch Iqbal tell her story »

A devout Muslim, Niaz stresses that there is no evidence that domestic violence is more common among Muslim families.

“Abuse happens everywhere,” said Niaz. “It cuts across barriers of race, religion, culture.”

But, she said, Muslims are often reluctant to confront the issue.

“There’s a lot of denial,” she said. “It makes it much harder for the victims of abuse to speak out.”

When Niaz launched her organization in 2004, it was the first resource of its kind in New York City. Today, her one-woman campaign has expanded into a multifaceted endeavor that is raising awareness about family violence and providing direct services to women in need.

Niaz said she firmly believes that domestic violence goes against Islamic teachings, and considers it her religious duty to try to stop abuse from happening.

“Quran condemns abusive behavior of women,” she said, noting that the prophet Mohammed was never known to have abused women. “Allah says, ‘Stand up against injustice and bear witness, even if it’s against your own kin. So if I see injustice being done to women and children, I have to speak up. It’s my duty.”

Niaz’s mission began after a difficult period in her own life. Born and raised in Pakistan, she had earned a master’s degree in psychology and had a successful career in international affairs and marketing when she moved to the United States to marry in 1990.

“It was a disastrous marriage,” she said.

As Niaz struggled to navigate the American legal system during her divorce, she said she appreciated how lucky she was to speak English and have an education. She realized that many immigrant women without those advantages might be more likely to stay in marriages because they didn’t know how to make the system work for them.

“If this is how difficult it is for me, then what must other immigrant women go through?” she remembered thinking.

After volunteering with South Asian victims of domestic violence, Niaz, who speaks five languages, got a job using those skills to advocate for immigrant women affected by family violence.

Rabia Iqbal, right, has received counseling from Niaz for two years.

But Niaz’s focus changed on September 11, 2001. “I was no longer a Pakistani-American … I looked at myself as a Muslim.”

Niaz said the backlash many Muslims experienced after the terror attacks made abuse victims more afraid to seek help; they feared being shunned for bringing negative attention to their community. Watch Niaz explain the effects of 9/11 on abused Muslim women »

“Women who were caught in abusive marriages were trapped even more,” recalled Niaz.

In 2004, Niaz used her savings to start Turning Point for Women and Families. Today, her work focuses on three main areas: providing direct services to abused women, raising awareness through outreach, and educating young women — an effort she hopes will empower future generations to speak out against abuse.

Crisis intervention services are a critical element of Niaz’s efforts. Through weekly counseling sessions, she and her team provide emotional support to the women while helping them with practical issues, such as finding homeless shelters, matrimonial lawyers, filing police reports or assisting with immigration issues.

Niaz has helped more than 200 Muslim women. While most of Turning Point’s clients are immigrants, the group helps women from every background.

While Niaz has support from many people in New York’s Muslim community, she acknowledges that not everyone appreciates her efforts. She keeps her office address confidential and takes precautions to ensure her safety.

“There have been threats … but that comes with this work,” she said. “I know that God is protecting me because I’m doing the right thing.”

Reference Link
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/09/24/cnnheroes.robina.niaz/index.html

Courtesy
CNN

A Bold U.S. Plan to Help Struggling Homeowners

Once again, the federal government is adding to its arsenal of programs for troubled homeowners, seeking to help those who urgently need it while neither angering nor creating perverse incentives for those who do not.

The new measures, announced by financial policy makers at the White House on Friday, are among the boldest to date. They are aimed not only at the seven million households that are behind on their mortgages but, in a significant expansion of aid that proved immediately controversial, the 11 million that simply owe more on their homes than they are worth.

Some of these people, if the government plan works, will emerge with a house whose payments they can afford and whose new mortgage reflects its market value. Unlike many previous modification recipients, they would presumably be less likely to re-default, helping to stabilize a housing market that remains queasy.

“We’re walking that delicate balance to make sure these solutions are sustainable and not temporary,” said David H. Stevens, commissioner of theFederal Housing Administration.

It is a balancing act in numerous ways. If the plan falls short — and some experts were skeptical on Friday — the Obama administration could find itself having to start over yet again in six months or a year.

“The housing market is the Vietnam War of the American financial system,” said Howard Glaser, a housing consultant. “The federal government is in so deep, they have to keep ramping up to find a way out.”

The latest programs, together with foreclosure assistance efforts already in place, are aimed at helping as many as four million embattled owners keep their houses. But the measures, which will take as long as six months to put into practice, might easily fall victim to some of the conflicting interests that have bedeviled efforts to date. None of these programs have the force of law, and lenders have often seen no good reason to participate.

To lubricate its efforts, the government plans to spread taxpayers’ money around liberally. For instance, it had previously planned to give homeowners that sell their homes rather than let them go into foreclosure a “relocation assistance” payment of $1,500. The plan announced on Friday increases that amount to $3,000.

All told, the new measures are expected to cost about $50 billion. The White House was careful to stress that the money will come from funds already set aside for housing programs in the Troubled Asset Relief Program. There will be “no additional commitment of taxpayer dollars,” Michael S. Barr, an assistant secretary of the Treasury, said at the White House briefing.

Here is what the $50 billion is supposed to buy:

The simplest component of the plan involves assistance to unemployed homeowners. Mortgage companies will now be encouraged to reduce payments for at least three months and possibly six months while the homeowner pursues a new job.

To be eligible, borrowers must submit proof they are receiving unemployment insurance. The new payments will be 31 percent or less of their monthly income. The missing money will be tacked onto the loan’s principal.

A second and more complicated program is a requirement that mortgage servicers consider writing off a portion of a borrower’s loan to get it down to a more manageable level.

Borrowers in the government modification plan who owe more than 115 percent of the value of their home and are paying more than 31 percent of their monthly income toward the mortgage are eligible. The write-downs are to take three years, with the borrowers in essence being rewarded for making their payments on time.

The third major new program strays the farthest from the government’s previous approach. Borrowers who owe more on their homes than they are worth will get a chance to cut their debt — providing the investor or bank who owns the loan agrees.

Mr. Stevens of the F.H.A. said the program was “for responsible homeowners who through no fault of their own find themselves in a situation of negative equity.”

There is no official requirement that these homeowners be in distress, but it would probably make the investor more receptive to a deal. Whether homeowners will scheme to get into the program is one of the big uncertainties.

The investors will write down the loans to 97.75 percent of the appraised value of the property, at which point the F.H.A. will refinance them through new lenders. The F.H.A., which currently insures about six million homes, will insure the new loans as well.

If the homeowner has a second mortgage, as many do, the total value of the new mortgage can be as much as 115 percent of the value of the property. The F.H.A. will spend up to $14 billion to provide incentives to the banks that service the primary loan as well as the owners of the secondary loans. Some of the money will also provide additional insurance on the new loans.

Numerous parties will have to work together to make these deals fly. The primary loan might have been bundled into a pool and sold to investors during the housing boom. The investor must agree to cut the principal balance for a deal to work, and any bank holding a second mortgage on the property would have to go along, too.

The only incentive for the first lien holder is a quick exit from a loan that might ultimately default. Payments for second lien holders will be made on a sliding scale.

Early reaction to the refinance program among lending groups was less than enthusiastic.

“The magnitude of this program will likely be measured in the tens of thousands rather than the hundreds of thousands of borrowers,” said Tom Deutsch, executive director of the American Securitization Forum. Both banks and investors belong to the forum.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, which represents the banks that service the primary loans and own outright many of the secondary loans, warned that “each servicer will need to determine whether this is the best approach to help the individual borrower.”

The new proposals irked many people, who flooded online forums Friday. Some said those in trouble deserved their fate. Others asked why the government was propping up housing prices when many renters still could not afford to buy a house. And some wondered about the message these rescue plans were sending to those who resisted the housing bubble.

Dave Juliette, a software worker in Pittsburgh, is in the last group. He paid off his loan eight years ahead of schedule and now owns his house free and clear. “I’m a homeowner in a more genuine sense of the word than many of these people with mortgages,” Mr. Juliette said. “But I won’t be seeing a dime.”

Reference Link : http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/business/27modify.html?pagewanted=1

Courtesy : The New York Times Company