Posted On: 2023-09-15 11:34:46
Since its inception in 2004, the 15th of September has been annually celebrated as ‘World Lymphoma Awareness Day.’ This event is organized by the Lymphoma Coalition (LC), a non-profit network organisation of 83 lymphoma patient groups from 52 countries around the world. This day attempts to raise awareness about Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in terms of symptom recognition, early diagnosis and treatment.
In past, the event has been celebrated by inspirational showcases of art in Argentina, bike tours in France, and patient seminars in New Zealand. In 2007, the ‘Know Your Nodes’ campaign was launched to educate people about lymph nodes, the lymphatic system and lymphoma.
The theme for this year is "We Can’t Wait to Focus on Our Feelings.", which stresses the importance of improving the psychological and emotional challenges the patients could go through. Patients battling lymphoma often go through mental health crises, as they fear for themselves and those they are responsible for. Our mental health can play a significant role in creating havoc for our physical health, so it is important to take care of your emotions during such times.
To mark the occasion of World Lymphoma Awareness Day, we would like to take this opportunity to talk about the disease and how we can prevent it.
According to the Mayo Clinic:
“Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's germ-fighting network. The lymphatic system includes the lymph nodes (lymph glands), spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect all those areas as well as other organs throughout the body.”
The two main types of lymphoma are:
The difference between Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is that Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is marked by the presence of Reed-Sternberg lymphocytes, which is absent in Non-Hodgkin.
The treatment of lymphoma depends on the type and its severity. Ideally, the treatment may include chemotherapy, immunotherapy medications, radiation therapy, a bone marrow transplant or some combination of these.
Some Signs and Symptoms of Lymphoma are:
However, the cause of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is unknown. Mutations occurring after birth might be responsible for the disease. These mutations can occur due to radiation or cancer-causing chemicals.
It is recommended to avoid exposure to chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides and benzene, having a gluten-free diet can also be helpful.
Filaantro understands the severity of lymphoma and does its best to prevent the disease. Through their own platform and their crowdfunding partner, Child Help Foundation, fundraisers for fighting lymphoma have been raised. If you want to raise funds for a patient fighting lymphoma, you can freely start a campaign on Filaantro or Child Help Foundation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Make sure to share this with all your friends and family members, to raise awareness about lymphoma.
AUTHOR: Adil Sayyad
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