Women now have more choices than ever when it comes to cancer treatment
TODAY marks 100 years since women finally got to vote.
It’s amazing to think that my great grandmother was around to see that happen.
The fact that there was a time in this country when women couldn’t vote still really baffles me.
But now that we have that vote, it doesn’t exactly mean we have equality.
I am sure we can all agree that we have some way to go until that happens.
I do, however, believe in recognising milestones and celebrating people who went out of their way for something they truly believed in, and sacrificed so much in the process.
As a result, women have more equal lives to men and have a voice.
It’s now easy for young people to take this for granted, which I guess is why a lot of people don’t bother voting.
I think we should celebrate not just the fact that a monumental shift happened 100 years ago, we should also celebrate choice – something we too often forget we have the privilege of.
Choice plays a big role in my life, more than I would sometimes like, thanks to having cancer.
I get to choose my treatment plan.
There would likely have been a time when there were no choices at all.
It was one way or the highway.
I presume my grandmother, who had breast cancer at 30, wasn’t offered many options for treatment.
She was given a mastectomy and no further treatments.
She then lived for many years and cancer didn’t darken her life again.
Right now, I am standing at the foothill of a mountain of treatment options, which is both comforting and really bloody confusing.
Recently, I was told my cancer is more active again so I need to change treatment.
This is easier said than done and no one can tell me the one clear plan of action that will help me. But I am kind of used to that now.
With choice comes big responsibility and I will admit it all seems a bit much sometimes.
If I hadn’t already been through nine years of this, I would wonder how I could manage any more.
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It’s lucky, then, that I have this rather big desire to stay alive for as long as possible, which is quite the driving force.
We flex our right to decision- making most days.
Sometimes our decisions can bring life-changing results. But even when they don’t, it’s good to remember those who had no choice and no voice, at all.