surgeons, among others. These specialists
and subspecialists all take care of different
parts of the same body, while cancer itself
impacts on the entire body and person’.
College of Humanities
by: Melissa Mungroo [[email protected]]
Published.19 Mar 2015
Anthropologist from School of Social
Sciences hosts talk on Cancer
Presenting at a talk on Cancer Narratives are (from left) Ms Lucinda Johns, Professor
Shalina Mehta and Dr Maheshvari Naidu.
A
nthropologist in the School of Social Naidu said there were many types of
Sciences, and College of Humanities, cancer which was a disease that played
Dr Maheshvari Naidu, hosted a talk titled: out in and on the body in multiple ways.
Cancer Journey - Long Walk to Freedom.
She said the biomedical model reduced
Naidu said the title indicated the arduous illness to a biological mechanism of cause
and traumatic process each cancer patient and effect, while the practice of medicine
undertook on their ‘journey’, or process of itself was broken down into smaller
diagnosis and treatment, towards their and smaller ‘medical bytes in the name
personal freedom of attempting to be ‘rid’ of specialisations; the oncologists, the
of the disease.
cardiologists, the radiologists, and the
Naidu explained that allowing individuals
to share their stories about what had
happened to them in the context of their
illness, encouraged them to talk about
themselves as ‘selves’, rather than just ‘ill
organs’.
‘while those left behind suffer pain and
heartache, the hope is that those who have
passed on, reach their freedom’.
The stories were unique and charted
different journeys and different ‘freedoms’.
Many in the audience were visibly moved
and shared some of their own painful
experiences.
A young woman staff member in the
audience said: ‘It was enlightening and
She said the talk was also a space to somewhat of a cathartic experience;
show the power of narratives. ‘Narratives rather emotional too. To hear first-hand
within the social sciences play a powerful accounts of how women have survived
role in allowing us to gain insight into the cancer, was inspiring and made me reflect
person sharing the story, as well as into on my experiences of losing someone with
cancer. It also made me realise that life
the phenomenon.’
really is too short and I shouldn’t be afraid
Psychology lecturer Ms Lucinda Johns of letting go once in a while and being
shared her powerful and poignant story free and enjoying myself. Thank you for
about being diagnosed with breast cancer allowing me to attend.’
at the age of 32 and her decade long ‘walk’
through remission. Her story depicted her A postgraduate student at the talk wrote
grace and courage in the face of shattering the following to the organisers: ‘I had an
news. She said she had added an auto- emotional breakdown after the talk. I
ethnographic approach to her doctoral realised how I was slowly dying without
knowing it. I’m taking a break today, then
work which examined breast cancer.
I will later see a doctor. Thanks for the
A social anthropologist from India, talk, it was a life-changing event.’
Professor Shalina Mehta, spoke about
her battle to fight her way out of multiple
potential terminal illnesses, including
cancer. She said that her ‘children had
been the light at the end of the tunnel’ –
‘the freedom’ she fought towards.
Mehta told the audience her first encounter
with terminal illness was when she was
in the demanding position of Dean at her
university. ‘In ‘the face of pronouncements
by doctors, I refused to die, for the sake of
my children,’ she said.
Dr. Maheshvari Naidu spoke about her
experience nursing a loved one through
palliative care and terminal cancer, and
said that in some heartbreaking instances,
‘freedom’ meant death. She added that