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|
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The reason why I was able –
with the help of my close friends – to start this movement which had been |
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lingering in my heart
for a long time is that I myself am a doctor who personally has come to know |
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breast cancer
patients, and also because my only precious elder sister died of breast
cancer. |
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There may not be many people who are in contact
in daily life with breast cancer patients. Therefore, it |
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may not be easy to imagine what kind of conditions they
are in. However, if one realizes that breast |
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cancer is now increasing and is the most common type of
cancer among women, it is not a matter to
be |
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overlooked. |
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From the day a patient is notified of breast
cancer, she suffers from feelings of profound desperation and |
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sorrow, and has to fight continuously with worries and
fear of death. Likewise the patient’s family has to |
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endure painful and trying days. |
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Despite such suffering, in the field of medical
treatment, although physical cures may exist, an adequate |
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system for psychological care is unfortunately lacking. |
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Patients today are still left in a state of
loneliness. |
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My sister developed cancer at the age of 46 and passed
away at the age of 49. It was a short life. |
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She was an intelligent, kind and reliable person, and her
husband and two sons were left without her. |
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Like other families of breast cancer patients, after I
lost my sister, every member of my family including |
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myself was overcome with feelings of sadness, emptiness
and loneliness. In this way the family was also |
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deeply hurt. |
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|
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Here is what I thought: |
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If only my sister’s cancer
and that of other patients could have been discovered through
earlier |
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examinations ! |
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If only there were a place
for medical treatment which one could rely on both physically
and |
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psychologically ! |
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If only there were a way to give strength to children who
lost their mothers to breast cancer ! |
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|
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In order to change these
‘ifs’ into reality, my friends and I started the Pink-ribbon Movement here
in |
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Japan. Although our
powers may be limited, we will do our best. Please offer us your
understanding |
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and encouragement as
these will surely become a great force. I believe that this ‘great force’
will be |
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able to save our future
generation. |
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I would be
most grateful for your kind support. |
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|
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J.POSH MOVEMENT |
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Representative |
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Kanji Tanaka |
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