The World Health Organisation has designated February 4 as World Cancer Day. Despite the many advances in diagnosis and treatment of the disease, cancer still accounted for 13 per cent of all deaths worldwide in 2007.
Early detection is a key element to successful treatment of the disease, but in some cases misconceptions about one’s risk of having a certain type of cancer can lead to delays in seeking medical advice.
In the spring of 1990, just weeks short of his 20th birthday, Saviour was on top of the world. “I had just applied to join the police force, realising a boyhood dream and I was looking forward to starting my new career.”
Ironically, it was after an evening out to celebrate being accepted to the force that Saviour’s world came crashing down around his ears. “I’d been out with a friend, also a new recruit, when I noticed my urine was darker than normal. Back then I drank Blue Label and initially assumed the ale had affected the colour but a sense of unease made me ask my dad’s advice.”
Having determined that Saviour’s urine was actually tinged with blood, his father booked him to see the family doctor first thing next morning. “The days that followed passed in a haze of tests and doctor’s appointments until I found myself at Boffa Hospital with a sinking sensation that something was definitely wrong,” Saviour remembers.
“At the time, doctors were reluctant to give me the diagnosis, perhaps because of my youth. One of the nurses at Boffa was British and, relying on the Brits’ reputation for straight talking, I asked her for information. She looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘you’ve got cancer of the bladder.’ This was mere days before my 20th birthday and I couldn’t help thinking Happy Birthday to me,” Saviour recalls wryly. How on earth was he supposed to break this news to his parents? Shocked and scared, Saviour turned to his uncle for advice and the pair told Saviour’s mum and dad. Cancer of the bladder is very rare in people under 40; usually afflicting people over the age of 50 and Saviour was the first patient in Malta to present with the condition at such a young age. As doctors considered treatment options, including the possibility of removing his entire bladder, Saviour and his family were coming to terms with the diagnosis.
“At 19/20 you feel invincible and, although I was scared, at a deeper level I couldn’t; or wouldn’t; countenance the thought that I wouldn’t be okay in the end. Now, older, wiser and a father myself, I appreciate how hard the whole thing must have been for mum and dad.”
Saviour credits his parents and brother as being “rocks of support” throughout his ordeal, with his parents taking charge of his care. Unhappy at the prospect of their son undergoing major surgery and eventual chemotherapy, Saviour’s parents decided to seek a second opinion abroad. Having been advised that their best option was to take Saviour to Germany the trio soon travelled to the German town of Hereford where they were given some encouraging news.
“The tumour was still in its early stages so the oncologist decided to perform a cystoscopy to remove the growth. If I had had my bladder removed I would have had to go through life with a stoma and chemo could have had serious side effects so we opted to go for this alternative.”
Despite his best resolutions, the weeks that followed were undoubtedly difficult. At times watching other youths walk past his hospital window, going about their lives unencumbered by major worries, he would become very depressed. “There were days when I couldn’t stop crying; I was fortunate to be able to turn to dad for solace. With his practical approach he was a tower of strength.”
After his surgery, Saviour returned to Malta where he was monitored closely, initially being tested every three months, then every six months until the check-ups became an annual event.“I could never have gone through the battle alone; my family were wonderful and rallied round me providing practical and emotional support. I also relied on close friends who acted as a sounding board; I could unburden myself with friends in a way I couldn’t with my family. “In such situations, one is always aware that family members are also living through the ordeal and it’s natural to protect them from further worry if possible.”
“I thank my lucky stars that I spoke to my dad that first night; if I had ignored that first symptom things could have been very different for me. Whenever I talk about my experience, I always stress how important it is to seek advice as soon as something seems out of place. It’s far better to go to your doctor for nothing than risk having a serious condition go undiagnosed any longer than necessary,” Saviour advises.“Since then there have been two more growths that were removed immediately but luckily I’ve been clear for eight years now,” Saviour says. Still, cancer never quite goes away; “no matter how well I am, this is always a shadow on the back of my mind. It’s like having an enemy lurking in the shadows; whether it attacks again or not is still to be seen.”