Taking on the fight against breast cancer with a triathlon
C is not just for the dreaded disease of cancer but C is also very much for the triumphant cure, if only all of us women catch breast cancer early through the simple measure of TLC – Touch, Look and Check.
This is what the Indira Cancer Trust (ICT) will be shouting from the rooftops in the important ‘Pink Month’ of October dedicated to all women, whether grandmothers, mothers, wives, daughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, granddaughters or friends.
Lanka (on the right) and Yenuka preparing for the Triathlon. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
October is ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Month’ and the ICT is going all out to spread the message in the far corners of Sri Lanka through a National TLC Triathlon. (See box)
Amidst a heavy work schedule in preparation for the triathlon, we meet ICT Chairperson Dr. Lanka Jayasuriya Dissanayake clad all in pink and Trustee Yenuka Bandularatne, as well as fighter-survivors of breast cancer at the serene ‘Suwa Arana’ a few doors from Apeksha, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Maharagama.
To the query, why focus on breast cancer, the answers come without hesitation. “Globally including Sri Lanka, it is the No. 1 cancer among women,” says Lanka, giving the chilling statistics – 15 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each day and devastatingly 3 women die of breast cancer each day.
Lalani before and after: Without and with hair
Early detection is the answer which saves lives, because if caught during Stage 1, breast cancer is 100% curable, she keeps reiterating. (Stage I is when the tumour is small and contained to one area. It has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or other areas.)
The irony, laments Lanka, is that most women do not perform the simple self-breast examination, a life-saver which takes less-than 5 minutes. TLC is carried out only by about 5% of women……….aparadey!
“The excuse often is that, amidst their daily and challenging routines of keeping the homes running smoothly sometimes while also holding down a job, they have no time. But what they do not realize is that if detected late, not only the woman affected by breast cancer but her whole family collapses for she is the pivot of the family,” says Lanka, adding that each and every woman has a duty not just towards herself but also to her family to perform the TLC routine regularly.
Yenuka says that among the cancers women are affected by, the highest is breast cancer. Even though it is 100% curable if detected and diagnosed early, another issue which aggravates this process is stigma.
During the discussion, in walks 49-year-old Lalani from faraway Gurutalawa in the Welimada area, a fighter-survivor who commendably feels no reason to withhold her name or image.
A mother of two boys, now 19 and 15, it was in 2023 that she felt a tiny duwana (moving) nodule in her right breast. But it was two months later that she decided to go to the Nuwara Eliya Hospital where her surgery was done soon after and she underwent 17 chemotherapy sessions.
Her marriage was gradually falling apart due to her illness but she was strong to face this ordeal, with support from her mother and sisters. Then in June this year, Lalani found a small lump once again, this time at the back of her head, with tests revealing that there were also other small cancerous nodules in her right lymph nodes and right lung.
Referred to the NCI, she is on chemotherapy cycles once again and when offered a fruit juice, as is the norm at Suwa Arana for anyone who walks in, she says she has no appetite, with both Lanka and Yenuka coaxing her to take a sip at a time. Now reports indicate that the nodules have cleared.
After a long chat, Lalani leaves the room but ‘transformed’ returns to say goodbye to us. Whereas when she walked in, she had not a single strand of hair, now having donned a wig given to her by ICT, she shows it off and requests a second photograph.
A similar tale is told by a 71-year-old from Panadura who wishes to remain anonymous. What triggered her to do a breast check was when an elderly neighbour was diagnosed with cancer in the stomach. When they told her that there had been no symptoms, she was puzzled. Mata hari prashnayak wuna eka, she says.
That night, she began reading about cancer on her phone and came across breast cancer. It was then that she did a check and found a thada area which turned out to be breast cancer, for which treatment came on time.
Many have survived breast cancer due to TLC but tragically many have succumbed by not having due diligence towards this easy routine.
| The importance of TLC – Touch, Look, Check | |
| Lying down or standing up, this once-a-month simple step at no cost, takes less than 5 minutes. All women over 20 years of age should carry out TLC on the 7th day after menstruation (period), counting the days from the first day of menstruation. Touch the breasts to see whether there are any gatithi (knots) or lumps, however, small. Look in the mirror to see whether there are any changes in breast appearance. If even a slightest knot or difference in appearance is seen – consult a doctor immediately. For women who have reached menopausal age (when the period has stopped), TLC should be once-a-month regularly on a set date. |
| Dispelling negativity with a Triathlon | |
| The TLC – Touch-Look-Check – Triathlon 2025 will see thousands swimming 200m, biking 5km and running 1.25km in four selected locations across Sri Lanka. With the motto: ‘Every kilometre you conquer spreads awareness and supports early detection of breast cancer’, the TLC Triathlon will be held in Kilinochchi on October 5; Batticaloa on October 12; Matara on October 19; and Colombo on October 26. While through the triathlon, the ICT hopes to dispel the negative imagery and also the stigma with regard to cancer, another angle is that it would cause a ripple-effect of awareness. For everyone who takes part, ICT hopes that person, those closest kith and kin to him/her and the little community around him/her would become aware of the importance of TLC for women. Why a triathlon and not a walk? The explanation comes from both Lanka and Yenuka. It will generate a lot of positivity, keep at bay all the negativity and send out a strong signal that breast cancer is not just an issue for women but for the whole family. To all the men out there, the signal is: “Do it for her – for that woman/women who are important in your life.” And why not just in Colombo – to take this message to every nook and corner of the country. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) and the ICT, in collaboration with the Health Ministry’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), the Sri Lanka College of Oncologists, the Sri Lanka Society of Breast Surgeons and other national partners held a media conference on September 11 on the importance of the Triathlon 2025. To register for the Triathlon, visit g360.lk/event/touch-look-check-triathlon-2025. |
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