The Silent Killers of Our Times

The Wake-up Call

Recently, my 12 year old daughter took an interest in my blog. She wanted to know what I write about and how I decide on which topics to talk about. I explained to her that I usually write on events that are happening around our country. I also told her that I write about those issues that touch my heart in one way or another. She read a few of my articles but I could tell she was not impressed. She could not relate with what I had taken hours to put together. She gave me her opinion in the blunt way kids do. She told me, “When you write next, why don’t you write about Cucu (Her grandmother and my mother). I had never thought of that. You see, my Mum has been grappling with breast cancer for the last few years.

Unable to Relate

When my Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer, it caught us (my siblings and I) off guard – I guess nobody is ever prepared for the dreaded doctor’s words – “Am afraid it’s cancer”. Although it is no excuse for me to literally ignore the harsh verdict, my Mum is very strong. Since the diagnosis, she vowed to fight and win against the cancer. I had, like many Kenyans, heard of cancer and how bad it is. I was however only able to truly relate to its diabolical nature when it infected my Mum and affected all of us who love her.

Hidden until it is Too Late

Experts claim that all of us have cancer cells in our bodies at all times. For some reasons that even they can’t explain, some of these cells start spreading and growing out of control (become malignant). There will be no symptoms until the cancer is relatively well established. In my Mum’s case for instance, she has never experienced any pain from the cancer itself. Any pain and discomfort she has felt so far has actually been as a side effect of the treatment. The nightmare stories of nausea and weakness from chemotherapy and irritation from radiotherapy, am afraid are all too real for people undergoing cancer treatment.

Acceptance

I thank God that my Mum accepted her condition and is positively committed to fighting it. This is not so with many cancer patients we have met as we take our Mum for treatment. Some have waited until almost the point of death to seek treatment. Doctors concur that this exponentially reduces their chances of hearing those golden words, “You are now Cancer-Free!”

Denial of the Affected

I am not infected but am affected in a big way by cancer. It is one thing for a person diagnosed with cancer to accept their fate. It is a completely different thing for those close to the person to come to terms. One hindrance to acceptance is the cost of treatment. Cancer treatment is capable of impoverishing even the most stable of families. When many family members think of the financial implications of cancer treatment, it makes it understandable why they go into denial.

Lifestyle Diseases

Lifestyle diseases are not necessarily caused by poor lifestyle, but they are nurtured by it. Cancer has always existed but its spread is largely attributed to lifestyle changes of modern times. The same case applies to hypertension and diabetes type 2. It is claimed that a sedentary lifestyle and the consumption of processed food has led to an increase in these diseases. All these diseases are expensive to treat and almost always lead to an untimely death. I guess it is the price we have to pay for what we fondly refer to as “civilisation”.

The Way Forward

Late last year, I embarked on a weight loss program as recounted here http://thelaymanspoint.blogspot.co.ke/2015/05/weight-loss-my-personal-journey.html. I was not driven by the desire to grow my very own six-pack. Rather, I did it out of the fear of death. You see, my boss once came and told me that I and another of my equally obese colleague would never live to see 60 years if we continued gaining weight the way we were doing. That did it for me, especially coming from a 75 year old man whom I respect like my own father.

In my research on a healthy lifestyle, I came up with 3 aspects that seem to sum up everything. These are a good diet, regular exercise, and peace of mind.

GMO Rhinos and Elephants to be Unattractive to Poachers

 A Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is one whose gene setup has been manipulated to either enhance or suppress certain traits. Various methods are used to achieve this but all entail microscopic attention to detail.

Man has always tried to influence his environment in order to overcome challenges such as food shortages and aesthetic displeasure. Towards this end, he has engaged the use of GMO technology in the fields of research and medicine. It has been reported that the protein base used in medicine is now largely produced in the laboratory using GMO technology.

Advantages of GMO

GMO has many advantages. Key among these however is the ability to have plants and animals that give higher yields, and are resistant to pests and diseases. GMO has also been used to propagate desirable traits mostly in plants. Such traits include the colours of flowers and fruits, and the shape of fruits. It is in the light of this that I propose to scientists to come up with a genetic way of changing the composition of rhino horns and elephant tusks. If this is done, poachers will not be interested in the animals because those trophies will only be worth their weight in plastic.

Disadvantages of GMO

Most of what has been propagated as disadvantages of GMO has not been entirely true. It has reeked more of politics than fact. Claiming, for instance, that GMO causes cancer is an assertion that, while it might have some truth in it, does not have the scientific backing required. Be that as it may, GMOs have certain disadvantages such as the fact that they lead to the extinction of indigenous strains of crops. The cost of GMO seed is also relatively high owing to the fact that a lot of investment is put into research and development of the same.

GMO seed is usually patented and if it pollinates a neighbour’s crops, that neighbour might be considered liable for theft of intellectual property. This can lead to tension where lawsuits may end up causing bankruptcy on farmers who have not embraced the GMO technology.

Beggars Becoming Choosers

Our country is still developing and this means that we do not always have what we need. We are often unable to feed ourselves thus requiring us to seek the assistance of our rich friends. It is however comical when these same Friends decide to bless us with GMO food so as to save us from starvation and we say no. We say we need food but it must not be GMO. Is this a case of Beggars becoming Choosers?

Here Quack, There Quack, Everywhere Quack, Quack!

Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O,
And on his farm he had a duck, E I E I O.
With a quack quack here and a quack quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack, ev'rywhere a quack quack.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O.

I used to love this song when I was in nursery school. I particularly liked this duck part because it was the only one whose sound I could associate with the actual animal that made it. I didn’t believe the mzungu version that pigs say “oink oink”. Quack was a straight forward sound which was pronounced the same way it was spelled. It was an innocent word whose other meaning I never got to know until I was all grown up.

The Noble Profession
In the 80s when I was a small boy, there were no private medical practitioners especially in the rural areas where I grew up. We always went to public health centres where we were assured that all staff working there were properly trained and vetted.
We were always ready to queue all day to be attended to. We would withstand the pungent smell of spirit which would be an assurance that germs had no place there. The reusable syringes were extra thick and I have never recovered from the trauma they caused me. They would be placed in a sufuria on a stove on one side of what would be the equivalent of the triage in a modern hospital. Despite the fear of pain and awe of the serious faces of doctors and nurses, everyone had confidence in all members of the noble profession.


Amazing Gullibility
In recent years, probably owing to the need for speedy service, Kenyans are opting to go to small private clinics for medical care. Higher incomes means the small fees charged in such establishments is often no hindrance. While it is understandable that convenience is worth paying for, it begs reason why people would trust someone whose qualifications and credentials are in serious question.

In Come the Quacks
Quack Doctors have put up shop in almost every town in the country. Listening to the ongoing debacle about “Doctor” Mugo Wa Wairimu, I was amazed to learn how easy it is to operate a “Specialist” Clinic in this country. The man has put up big signs outside his clinics in highly populated residential estates in Nairobi. He even distributes fliers in public places to advertise his “services”. In all this time, no person in the authorities has verified his suitability to conduct such a sensitive business.

The Love of Money
The bible describes the love of money as the root of all evil. This has led to many “professionals” setting up their operations because it is apparently an easy way to make lots of money. I have heard of quack general practitioners, quack dentists, and even quack circumcisers. A quack gynaecologist however, was very shocking for me and I’m sure it is for a lot of Kenyans. It is scary to even think about it especially considering how vulnerable a woman is to her gynaecologist.

Fringe Benefits
Many people join their chosen professions not just for the basic pay, but also for the fringe benefits. But to think of a quack who thinks the fringe benefits of being a gynaecologist is to rape sedated and helpless patients makes me cringe to the pit of my stomach.

Taking Advantage of Poverty/Need/Ignorance
Quacks take advantage of the shortage of real doctors, and the prohibitive costs associated with seeing one. This particular quack enticed unsuspecting women by offering free services and those women who could not afford specialist gynaecologists were easily taken in. The rest was easy for him because he only had to give a few sleeping pills and move on with his agenda. People are also ignorant as to what they should consider red flags in a quack and this makes them easy prey.

Sleeping on the Job
I can’t decide whether the people who were supposed to arrest the quack were unaware of his activities, or were just paid to keep away. Whichever the case, it shows that the citizens of this country have been left to fend for themselves. They have to waddle around wondering which quack is from a real duck and which is just masquerading as one.

The Power of No

I was raised and conditioned to always be positive. I have been trained to always expect the best in life. I have however not been alone in being fed with this ‘goodness’ philosophy. This has actually been the dominant belief of our generation. Throughout school and at work, we are constantly reminded that we attract what we are and so we are told to confess the positive. We are even encouraged to ‘fake it till we make it’.

While the above reasoning works in the majority of times, sometimes it fails. When it does, it finds us largely unprepared simply because we didn’t make any allowance for failure. For many of us, the word “No” does not exist in our dictionaries. We can take any answer that begins with a “Yes” to any of our demands, but we cannot take “No” if our lives depended on it. People who graciously take “No” for an answer are considered retrogressive and even stupid.

It has been proven time and again that men and women usually date for different reasons. When a man wants to move the relationship to the next level, a woman is advised to say “No” if she is not ready. This is one scenario where men are advised to accept a “No” response. Men have however often asserted that women don’t mean “No”. Campaigns have been initiated to convince men that when women say “No”, it means exactly that, “No”. This is one “No” that would have kept some men out of prison for rape; if only they would have known the power it contained.

The high rate of joblessness has led to desperation amongst job seekers. A “No” after a job interview is something only the strongest among us can handle. People are ready to do anything to avert a possible “No” in a job quest. Bribery and sexual favours are just some of the many things some people would do just to avoid one word; “No!”

We are told that when we pray to God, we should expect one of three answers; Yes, No, or Later. “Yes” and “Later” are acceptable to everyone. “No”, on the other hand, is to most people, inapplicable and non-existent. This is all thanks to the negative publicity given to the “No” response. Some people are ready to restrict even God in the use of the word “No”.

Obesity is on the rise today. This is not because there is more food to eat. It is because many people cannot say “No” to an extra chapatti or piece of meat. A generation of no “No” is slowly but surely adding on the kilos. I guess this is because in African culture, it is considered impolite to say “No” to an offer of food that a host has gone to great pains to prepare for you.

Campaigning for elections entails convincing voters to say “Yes” to you and “No” to your opponents. Accepting the “Yes” verdict is easy since it involves celebration and colourful acceptance speeches. Accepting a “No” verdict on the other hand is something many electoral contestants are not willing to do. Painful concession speeches are not easy, especially for ego-filled politicians. Most politicians who lose elections on this continent do not give speeches; they give threats about going either to the courts or the streets.

People who live by strong principles often find themselves having to make tough choices. Due to their usually high positions of power and influence, deviant people try to make them bend their stance a little so as to get some small mutual benefit. In order to retain their high reputation, these people have to say “No” to such demands. This is one of the hardest “No’s” that one can make because it is often made under extreme pressure.

The life of a Layman is littered with cross-roads requiring a decision of one kind or the other. In some instances, one is required to go with flow. In other cases, particularly where a decision one way or the other is critical, personal conviction and common sense is the best way to go. It is therefore important for one to say “No” when a “No” is the best answer. It is also crucial that in our interactions with each other, we learn to accept a “No” answer. After all, there are few things in the World as powerful as a timely “No”