EDITOR'S LETTER 主編語
“Y
「你
ou have cancer.” Three earth-shattering words that most of us will hear at some point in our lifetimes. It could be you, your parent, partner, child, or best friend. Nearly everyone has been – or will be – affected by cancer in one way or another. Back in 1971, former US President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, generally regarded as the beginning of what many have called the global war on cancer’. Half a century and billions of dollars in research later, the fight goes on. One in five people will be diagnosed in their lifetime and, in 2018 alone, 9.6 million people died from the disease worldwide. Cancer seems abstract and distant until you are affected first-hand. For me, the disease became very personal last year, when my mother, Rina Tay, was diagnosed with brain cancer. In February 2019, after fighting for six short months, she passed away. This issue of Ariana is dedicated to my mum, the strongest woman I have ever known (pg. 114). Over half of Ariana’s team members have witnessed a loved one battle cancer – we understand the disruption, the confusion, the anger, and the new perspectives it can bring. Our hope with this issue is to provide some support to those who have been affected by this insidious disease by exploring some of the latest research, news, taboos and personal stories. We tell the journeys of survivors who faced cancer head on and came out stronger (pg. 57), examine innovative research happening right here in Hong Kong, (pg. 76), investigate the lucrative ‘disease marketplaceʼ (pg. 94), explore the medicinal properties of cannabis (pg. 105), and dive into the ‘death positive’ movement, which encourages us to have healthy conversations with our loved ones, before it’s too late. We hope this issue will inspire you to take control of your health and ask questions. Only by challenging the status quo can we address systemic shortcomings, bureaucracy and pave the way for change, whether that be more affordable treatments, improved patient care, faster drug approval processes or screenings for earlier detection. As Susan Sontag, an American writer and political activist, once said: “It is easier to endure than to change. But once one has changed, what was endured is hard to recall.”
Editor-in-Chief
Mariana César de Sá
生癌。」 當人生走到某個階段，我們大多數人都可 能會聽到這三個讓你感到天崩地裂的字。 可能是你，你的父母，你的伴侶，你的孩子，或者你最 要好的朋友。幾乎每個人都曾經或者將會受到癌症某種 形式的影響。 1971年，美國前總統尼克遜簽署了《國家癌症法》， 這被普遍視為全球「抗癌戰」的開端。經歷半個世紀和 投入數以十億美元計的研究經費之後，這場酣戰至今仍 在進行。全球每五個人就有一人會在其人生路上被確診 患癌，而單是2018年就有960萬人死於癌症。可是，癌症 似乎仍然抽象而遙遠，直到你身處漩渦之中。 對我來說，這種惡疾在去年變得非常貼身，因為 我的母親鄭凱斯被確診患上腦癌。 2019年 2月，她在抗 癌短短六個月後辭世。我將本期 Ariana 獻給我的母親 ──在我的眼中最堅強的女人（第 114頁）。 在Ariana的團隊中，超過一半人曾經目睹他們所愛 的人與癌症搏鬥。我們都能理解那種生活被打亂、內心 充滿困惑和憤怒的感受，以及這段經歷帶給我們的新領 悟。在這期雜誌，我們希望可以透過新聞報導、禁忌剖 析和個人故事，給那些受到癌症困擾的人一點支援。 我們講述了與癌症迎頭撞上，成功抗癌之後變得更 加堅強的康復者的故事（第57頁），我們分析了正在香 港發展的創新研究（第76頁），我們調查了利潤豐厚的 「醫療經濟」（第94頁），我們探討了大麻的藥用價值 （第105頁），我們還深入「正向死亡」運動，它鼓勵我 們及時地、坦然地與我們所愛的人傾談死亡議題。 我們希望這期雜誌會啟發你採取行動，掌握自己的 健康和提出疑問。只有敢於挑戰現狀，我們才能夠改善 結構缺憾和官僚作風，並為變革鋪路，無論是讓治療費 用更大眾化、讓病人護理質素提升、讓藥物批准流程加 快，還是推廣篩查以更早識別癌症。 美國作家和政治運動家蘇珊·桑塔格曾經這樣說： 「忍受比改變容易。但一旦改變了，人們就會想不起他 們曾經忍受過的到底是甚麼。」
總編輯
沙欣賢 ARIANA 2019
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