Interview with Gay Meadows

The word cancer, spurs up such an array of emotions but undoubtedly the greatest emotion surrounding the word cancer, is fear. Cancer is a leading cause of death in the world today. We all know someone, a friend, a relative or a friend of a friend that has been affected by the disease.

I have been proud to be part of the Cancer Support Group here on the Riviera. I do not have cancer, I have had family who have died of cancer and friends that are going through aggressive treatments in order to combat the disease. But one day, if I should hear those words: 'You have Cancer'... I will be relieved that there is a support group to help.

I met Gay Meadows, a cancer sufferer, at the Centre Azuréen de Cancérologie in Mougins and spoke to her about the ordeal, her fears and thoughts.

The World Health Organisation have some interesting quick facts:

* Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide: it accounted for 7.9 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2007.
* Lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer cause the most cancer deaths each year.
* The most frequent types of cancer differ between men and women.
* About 30% of cancer deaths can be prevented.
* Tobacco use is the single most important risk factor for cancer.
* Cancer arises from a change in one single cell. The change may be started by external agents and inherited genetic factors.
* About 72% of all cancer deaths in 2007 occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
* Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 12 million deaths in 2030.

It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom. Progress is being made every day thanks to research and the dedication of medical teams and of course we could not do without the precious support groups everywhere.

My special thanks to Gay for talking to me and for being so honest and open.