Savo challenges cancer: a story of pain and hope

04-04-2022 01:46

Peregraf- Hardi Osman

When Savo learned she had cancer, she lost all hope, viewing it as a death sentence. But her resilience throughout her treatment was beyond every expectation.

"The doctors said that your cancer has reached the final stage, which means it will be fatal even if you receive chemotherapy. Just wait for God’s mercy," 27-year-old Savo Diary told Peregraf.

That was in March 2019, a dark time for Savo, who felt that her life was really just beginning.

"I was in a lot of pain. I was very weak. My leg hurt and the pain spread throughout my body. Then during a check-up, I was diagnosed with two types of cancer, in my colon and my liver," she said.

Despite the doctors’ grim prognosis, she did not give up, receiving treatment at Hiwa Cancer Hospital in Sulaimaniyah.

"One night I sat down and thought to myself: ‘I can't be like this. I shouldn't be discouraged. I have a child and I have to fight. I have to be bold and overcome this disease.’ I put myself in the mindset of being in a war that I had to win," Savo said.

Cancer is a chronic disease with hundreds of distinct types that can be fatal. Creating a positive mindset for patients is often a major part of the treatment.

Savo's only weapon in the war against cancer was her "self-confidence and not surrendering to the disease."

"Three months after my diagnosis, I was checked once again and 50 percent of the disease had passed. All the doctors were shocked," she said.

"The patient's will and their immune system play an important role in overcoming the disease because once the immune system deteriorates and their will deteriorates as well. The disease will prevail," said Dr. Kanar Abdulrazaq Khaznadar, a cancer specialist, told Peregraf.

Khaznadar stressed that results can be good if cancer patients both use medicine properly and have a positive mindset.

According to statistics from the Iraqi Ministry of Health, breast cancer is the most common type among women in the country and prostate cancer is the most common type among men.

Savo was still battling her cancer when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Kurdistan Region, which was put her at grave risk due to her compromised immune system. She said she contracted COVID-19, but was able to recover in a week.

Cancer diagnoses have increased in the Kurdistan Region in recent years, with the number of cases rising 19.3 percent from 6,376 in 2020 to 7,904 in 2021, according to official statistics.

In Erbil governorate during the same period, the number of cancer patients increased 20 percent from 3,052 to 3,808. In the Sulaimaniyah governorate, the increase was 17 percent from 2,557 to 3,080 and 24.5 percent in the Duhok governorate from 767 to 1,016.

"The biggest risk factor is age. With every 10 years of age, the risk of developing cancer increases by 2 percent," Khaznadar said, adding that infertility, obesity, family history, and the use of hormonal drugs are also risk factors.

Environmental pollution is another major contributor to the development of cancer in the Kurdistan Region.

Sabah Zebari, head of the Kurdistan Parliament's health and environment affairs committee, told Peregraf that parliamentary committees were working to improve the quality of gasoline in the Kurdistan Region because the current types in use "contain primary materials, poisons, and other substances that cause cancer."

Several MPs, including some who are medical doctors, said that the fuel sourced from illegal refineries was particularly harmful to the environment and public health.

"With the health ministry working to raise awareness among people, they should also do check-ups as soon as possible, especially for women because the rate of breast cancer is high," Zebari said.

"We are trying to set limits on cigarettes and hookahs, from importing them to using them, because smoking a major cause of cancer. Our role is only to propose solutions to the executive," he added.

Industrial pollution is also an area of concern, with Zebari saying that the Bazian area in Sulaimaniyah governorate has one of the highest rates of cancer due to a large number of factories.

"We have two to three investigative teams there and we have already submitted our statistics to the Ministry of Health and the environment committee to find a solution," he said, adding that the factories do not abide by international pollution standards.

According to the World Health Organization, cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally, with around 20 million diagnoses and 10 million deaths in the past year alone.