By Aigi A. , Caregiver
“The first casualty of War is Truth”, according to Aeschylus.
But there are wars, where truth cannot be sacrificed, instead it comes to light. “Truth is the flight towards our divine”, says Plato in Cratylus. Today, we will talk in terms of war with the enemy, being lung cancer.
Mrs. Korina Pateli Bell, the founder of Fairlife L.C.C, has been an inspiration to write these words. She herself has experienced an irrevocable truth, the flight of her beloved husband Simon to the divine world.
Just after having filled out a psychological support form at Fairlife L.C.C.’s website, I received a call from Korina.
FairLife L.C.C. offers psychosocial support for lung cancer patients and caregivers, free of charge, through personal involvement, volunteering and a solid network of scientific collaborations in Greece and abroad.
FairLife L.C.C. advocates prevention, raises awareness and provides guidance throughout the very difficult journey from lung cancer diagnosis to treatment.
Through her voice, I identified myself and many other companions on this journey… a journey with a beginning and often an end, an eternal and immortal end, just as the heroic souls of cancer patients. Or do we suppose that heroes are only found in mythology? The Lernaean Hydra is still here, and those who have met the monster, know they have to be heroic.
Thank you, Mrs Pateli! You mentioned a word, the “stigma” of lung cancer, which made me see clearly again in the darkness of the world.
It’s the same world that Pythagoras had called “jewel”, because it is a jewel indeed, with so many changing angles. As a caregiver of beloved people, I myself have felt the trauma of wicked stigma. I had to cope with very difficult life and death experiences, with my beloved sister gone from being mortal to immortal. And now, my mother, the most sacred creature in every human life, the person who gave me the most precious gift of life, fights against metastatic lung cancer. So, I pick up the torch of Fairlife L.C.C.’s motto and turn pain into seed: “Go tell to Sparta, thou who passest by, that here, obedient to the laws of love, we lie.”
And we stand up again. For cancer is everywhere but it has to face so many capable warriors. And to those who describe patients and caregivers as unlucky, I truly hope they never have to live the great fortune of winning even a small battle.
Coming back to the meaning of truth, there is another truth we have to admit and drop stigma: anyone with lungs can get lung cancer. Infants, young people, old, rich, poor, white, colored, cheerful, dull, businessmen, homeless people, everyone on this earth. Cancer does not “discriminate”. Only people discriminate. And what is ultimately more valuable? To be a slave to a disease you did not choose, whether it happens to you or a loved one, or to be a slave to beliefs that are in no way appropriate? Especially when a fellow human being has to suffer physically, mentally, socially, and very often financially, against his or her will. Stigma, like cancer, comes uninvited into life and with loud noise, often leaving us speechless.
For every silent tragedy of life, however, ancient drama has taught that redemption follows. I send my love and infinite support to all cancer patients who may or may not be reading this, you are admirable. You are the ones who teach us daily in this passing life the wisdom gained through similar experiences: “Check yourself, glorify hope, fight for life, pray for what is possible, be thankful, listen to everything, be kind, defend yourself from insults, cherish friendship, empathize with the unfortunate.
Our experience has taught us that there are no secret recipes for lung cancer. There is prevention, effective treatments and if you feel fear or panic, try to keep your soul alive.
May our struggle be salvation to our souls. For we are all Earth’s children and children of the starry sky. And even before we came to Earth, we were not concerned with such matters, nor will we be afterwards.
I send you my love from the front line, having my feet on the ground and my eyes on the sky. For Hades is Earth and this is the reason we look up.
January 23, 2023
