Another disaster - this time in New Zealand, Australia's sister-country.
Since I shifted across from using my skills for those divorced, widowed, single parents (I call them all 'solos') into the field of helping others with cancer after my own near death from colon cancer I have, every time there is a disaster somewhere, been very aware of the additional toll that will be visited on people going through cancer treatments and other major illnesses which need ongoing care.
What if an earthquake strikes just when you are halfway through a week of daily chemotherapy? If the hospital where you receive treatment is demolished by a 'quake? Or if all your support services shift into crisis mode and you worry that this means you will be left without the help you need? This is when our wonderful present day services truly come into play. Countries like Australia and New Zealand are blessed - as are many other modern communities : we band together across States, across land masses, across the sea.
Australians have, since the beginning of the last century, fought in common teams with New Zealanders across a world at war. That's where the name ANZAC comes from, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
As I type, we have so far 150 fully equipped and self supported members of search and rescue teams in New Zealand helping them after their latest earthquake, plus teams of doctors and police. We naturally responded with our Prime Minister, Julie Gillard's offer "Whatever you need, we will give it".
In Australia we have just come out of some months of widespread devastation ourselves - Cyclones and floods in Queensland, floods in Victoria, fires in Western Australia, another cyclone down across from the North West. And right now another cyclone in Western Australia. That is unfortunately the country we live in. "a land of droughts and flooding rains" as was chronicled in an iconic poem 'My Country' written by Dorothea Mackellar more than a century ago.
The upside of this has been that these very disasters have developed highly trained - and ready to go - teams of search and rescue men and women; body identification teams; armed services with tremendous engineering and personal skills and heavy equipment that are constantly used across our Pacific region (Indonesia, Ache, Malaysia etc etc over recent years), wherever they are needed. And our professional and armed forces teams are always in there in large numbers.
Our professionals services are backed up by deeply trained volunteer services that we call on during our own disasters. That's the way Australians have always been; we don't wait to be asked, but automatically move in to help.
I just saw on my TV one of the workers in New Zealand, striding out of a damaged building, calling out 'What do you need?'. And that's the cry we are all responding to, reaching out from one person to another. Nationalities dissolve at such times, but it's only those who have been caught up with cancer at some time whose first thoughts go to the plight of those having to navigate their way though this extra fog of concern.
When I'm in the US in less than a month to deliver 2 x 75 minute workshops for health professionals at '12th Annual International Summit on Improving Patient Care in the Office Practice and the Community' for IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) in Dallas, Texas. Titled: The Doctor-Patient Relationship: Improving Care Through Dynamic Communication, I'll keep in mind these concerns. What I offer in such professional environments is desperately needed, even more in times of great difficulty, when the wrong word can cause catastrophic trauma to someone in need.
I visualise a world where eventually all in need will be supported. When the 'rolling strife' across so many Arab States at this moment comes to and end, when all have the opportunity to vote and live a life governed by true concern for each individual's rights. May they also have what we have. It's tough enough having cancer or any other major illness. Let's all work toward a world at peace where at least natural disasters and inevitable ill health will be our only worries.
Much love
Beryl
