Why I Signed: Shu

Jul 25, 2011 by Guest

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This Summer?s UN Global Health Summit is our chance to make cancer a global priority. Sign on and tell world leaders to fight the global cancer crisis.

The question put to me was “why did you sign”, well my answer is “why wouldn’t I sign?”

It’s a no brainer isn’t it, why wouldn’t we all sign this letter, why wouldn’t we all want to lend our voice to those who speak up for us, those with loud, eloquent voices, those who people listen to.

Individually we are tiny voices, mostly never heard, but when we come together the sound of us will be deafening, and impossible to ignore.
Imagine the volume of all our tiny voices joined together. Our voices are spoken in many languages around the world, some are whispers, some are timid, some are brave and some have been ignored but one thing is for sure… Our LIVESTRONG voice is Loud and Proud, hear our voice, hear our shout… “LIVESTRONG”

So my question to everyone is – why wouldn’t you sign?. I don’t think there is a person I know that wouldn’t sign this letter because everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer and why wouldn’t we do everything in our power to help them, help them to survive..and then help them to thrive.

I was one of the lucky ones, when I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2004 I was living in the UK and had recently taken out private health insurance, my insurers were fantastic, approved my claim straight away, allowing me to have my operation within days of my diagnosis, and then the treatment programme kicked in, and as I said, I was one of the lucky ones, I had my chemo at home and I think that made a massive difference to how I dealt with the treatment, I was able to sit on my own bed, while my wonderful nurse sat next to me and administered the cocktail of Chemo drugs into my arm and when it was over, I was already cosy on my own bed and was able to have a quick snooze in my own surroundings before I went back to work an hour later.
I never missed a days work and I’m sure having the chemo in tranquil surroundings instead of on a hospital ward helped in that.

I signed this letter because why wouldn’t I want to fight for every other cancer patient to have the type of treatment I had, safe and secure in their own home, not lined up feeling like a “patient” on a hospital ward. Why wouldn’t I want them all to be able to sit on their own bed, surrounded by the things that make them feel safe and hopeful, a family member, a beloved pet, a favourite teddy, whatever helps them through this scary, unpleasant journey. So again I say – “Why wouldn’t I sign”

I signed for me, I signed for my Dad, my Grandma, my School friend, my 2 Aunties, my Godfather, my Grandfather, my LIVESTRONG friends, the journalist who wrote so eloquently about my last LIVESTRONG Day and then discovered he had cancer, for the fight he lost and for all of those still fighting and for all of those who will need to fight in the future.

Lastly but certainly not least of all, I signed for Lance – why wouldn’t I sign for a man that has done so much for 28 million of us, why wouldn’t I sign for a man who stands up and fights for us everyday, why wouldn’t I sign for a man who has made sure we are heard loud and clear. Why wouldn’t I?….. well, I would, and I did, make sure you do too.

Shu Milne
LIVESTRONG Leader
Mandeville en Bessin, France