The ManicaPost
Health Correspondent
SOME 40 years ago, the first hospice on the African continent was established following the untimely death from cervical cancer of Frances, daughter of Island Hospice Service founder Maureen Butterfield. Maureen’s teenage daughter died in 1977, a few days short of her twentieth birthday.
After the loss of her daughter, Maureen deeply regretted that in the eight months of her daughter’s illness, the word ‘death’ never entered their conversations.
She felt they were never truly prepared for her death.
On a consolatory trip to England, Maureen heard about the modern hospice movement. Then, in early 1979, Maureen travelled to a symposium at WITS University in Johannesburg to hear Dame Cecily Saunders speak.
Saunders founded the first modern hospice (home of rest for the terminally ill) in 1967, providing high quality palliative care in Sydenham, south east London.
Maureen returned home to Zimbabwe inspired, and, with a few friends, organised an exploratory gathering in Harare. The response was overwhelming. So, further discussions followed, leading up to the meeting at which the fledgling service was constituted.
On 3 May 1979, the first Island meeting was held at the University of Zimbabwe to discuss provision of ‘Better End of Life Care’ (EOL). Island is an acronym: Integrated, Significant Living and Dying. The name Island came from John Donne’s poem, ‘No Man is an Island’.
Meanwhile, October is the Breast Cancer Awareness Month marked in countries across the world. The awareness helps to increase attention and support, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of this disease.
Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, both in the developed and developing countries. In low- and middle-income countries the incidence has been rising up steadily in the last years due to increase in life expectancy, increase urbanisation and adoption of western lifestyles.
Currently there is not sufficient knowledge on the causes of breast cancer, therefore, early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control. When breast cancer is detected early, and if adequate diagnosis and treatment are available, there is a good chance that breast cancer can be cured. If detected late, however, curative treatment is often no longer an option. In such cases, palliative care to relief the suffering of patients and their families is needed.
The majority of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where most women with breast cancer are diagnosed in late stages due mainly to lack of awareness on early detection and barriers to health services. Maria’s story (see below) illustrates this dramatic situation common to thousands of women in resource constrained settings. A situation that can be reverted if adequate public health programmes are put in place.
