Surviving Prostate Cancer - Dissertation Example

 Surviving Prostate Cancer I am Aileen Sang born in Bradford, Tennessee in 1982 in a family of two sisters and one brother. I lived in a town that posted a population that was not very significant. We could not complain because at least we could manage. Being the first-born, I have been through a lot of ups and down. I found myself in a different situation throughout my life since my father laid most of the time. My dad did everything for the family, but he could not do much since he was not that educated and depended on manual jobs. With the layoff, he received now and then we had to live with the little we had. We never knew about luxury stuff he only bought us necessities. I remember there is a point in life we only had two pairs of clothes to change. My mother had to limit everything in order to make ends meet. In my elementary school, I was very active and performed well in my studies despite missing school sometimes due to fee arrears. However, I had a vision of completing my college studies. I finally succeeded in my studies and joined high school, life was as usual missing some classes because of fees. Despite this, I never gave up in fact I was on the top of my class. Life was better until the worse happened my father got a road accident, and unfortunately passed away. It was on of the darkest days I experienced in my life I knew it was not possible that I proceed with my studies. I was worried I could not pursue my dreams as I had planned, but I never gave up. I dropped out of grade 10 since my mother could raise my fees. She had to look for a manual job to support us. I remained at home and allowed my siblings to continue with the elementary school. I was send off school for a period of two years until my uncle came to my rescue and accepted to help my mom pay my high tuition fees. I was exacted once again since I could see my dreams coming true slowly. He paid my expenses throughout my high school. He could do that much since he had other responsibilities in his family. After high school, when I was age 19 year, I agreed to get married but I made a promise to myself that this could not stop my dreams. I knew education was crucial in order to succeed in life. Knowing how my parents suffered without education, they had to face the worse in order to make ends meet. When I declared officially my decision to get married, my friends were shocked at the decision I had made a short time after my graduation. I was advised to apply for financial assistances after my engagement. I knew that couples were given the opportunity of funding more than the single. I was luck my student loan was approved, but I could not join the college since I was in a situation of warranting a move out of the city to a different town for the purpose of study. There was no college in my small town, and I had no extra money for accommodation, so I had to stay. Having no alternatives and my husband still jobless, I had to take jobs in the small town. My husband was very selective when it comes to jobs that are the main reason he took a while before getting the job. The job was stress since I had to take care of many children at the same time. Working with kids made me be attached to them, and I ended up wanting to have my own. This decision changed my life once again. We successfully got our first born baby and continued to work in the daycare until my husband got employed. I was happy since I could move to another town with my boy in order to pursue my education. It did not last for long since after one year; my boy developed complications and I had to drop out of school again. We needed extra money to pay for his heart surgery. My husband had to take some loan to cater for the medication of our child since our health cover alone could not cover all procedure. The surgery was done, and we went back to stay there while the boy recovered. I continued to work with the day care as my boy grew up since we also needed extra cash to pay back the loans and to sustain us. Our lives were better despite struggling to pay back the loan we had taken for the surgery. We just had enough to sustain our family, but I felt I could have extra to help my mom who was really struggling to make ends meet. This made me not to give up in every challenge that we passed I knew needed better life to help the young ones. Two years later, my husband got a job in United Kingdom. He had to leave us behind in order to settle down and get us the required documents. Moreover, he was not able to finance our travel all the way at that time. I remember the day he was leaving I thought I will never see him again. My son had a very rough time before he could finally adjust that he had to be without his dad for a while. He was still young to understand why; I used to tell him he would just come soon. However, after a month he had adjusted to it. He went when I was expecting another baby the elder one had just started schooling. I acknowledged the need to maintaining a healthy life to foster my kids, so I had to let him go for our better life. For me, there was nothing I wanted than to make my children have a better life that I never had. I gave birth to my second born when he was abroad he did not call that often but at least he used to send us money. My kids grew up without a father for three years; it reached a time I thought we would never unite again as a family. Every time I asked about us joining him he said the documents were not ready, but they are almost. I had to be patient with him. Mom was worried that he might have left us behind and gone to marry another woman. I had to convince her that he was a good man he could not do that. However, I was not confidence about this. When my second baby turned three years, he called to tell us the good news, that everything was ready for us to join him. I was excited though my younger son was sad that he was going to leave the friends he had met in school. I had to convince him that he would get new ones when we get there, and he was going to join his dad. He used to be close to his father and this made him euphoric. We packed our things and soon we were on our way. We arrived and surprisingly he was not there to pick us. He sent a woman whom he said was his friend. She dropped us at his house, but he was working so we had to wait until evening when he arrived. We were all happy to reunite as a family. He lived in a big house, and I was glad that my kids were going to live the life I had not lived. Soon the schools open, and we had to enroll our boy to school I had never seen my child that excited. Things went well until my husband started behaving strangely and stopped appreciating us. I later found out that he was unfaithful to me. The syndicate behind was heavier yet I thought all that was not a reason to let my marriage go and I hoped it would work. I had a lot of faiths that he was going to change I prayed a lot for our marriage to work. After one year of enduring issues of infidelity, things were not working out. I decided to move out with my kids and filed a divorce, which was granted to us after a year. Mum and my sister were the only people to console me. They used call me frequently to encourage and listen to me. This the time I realized that I had not accomplished my dream of finishing college and getting a better job. I applied to complete my clinical medicine course in St. Columba’s college in St. Albans town. The school offered me a scholarship and this when my life took another angle for the better. I finally complete my degree, which offered me a better job at Albany lodge inpatient unit in St. Albans. The job gave me a better pay, and I was able to live the life I wanted. With the good pay, I was able to pay fees to my younger siblings and support mom back at home. At least they could attend all the classes and perform better than I did. They moved to a better house in a bigger town. My mom was so proud of me since I helped reduce her burden. My younger sister finished high school and joined a college in Finland. She had no financial problems since education system there is free. She is also giving me a hand in helping our family is better people that we never thought we would ever be in life. The colleagues at the hospital were friendly and easy to work together. The many years I collaborated with them gave me a lot of experience in my field, which enabled me to provide better services to the patient. I worked in Albany lodge inpatient unit for several years, and my passion and determination to work did not fail to be recognized by the administration. I was awarded a scholarship to go and further my studies in an Australian university. This offer came as a heaven-sent gift to me because I was thirsty to learn more in the medical field. I chose to study bachelor of medicine where I would later specialize in occupation therapy. I moved to Perth, Australia while I was enrolled at the University of Notre Dame. I hold high hopes of accomplishing my degree and continue developing my career using available opportunities that provide and maintain high levels of clinical competence, knowledge, and ethics. I took my elder son with me while the younger one had to stay with his dad since he was still in his elementary school. In Australia, I was able to enjoy the warm weather. My boy used to complain about the weather but with time, he adjusted to it. I had to enroll my boy to high school. It was not hard to get him a job since he was bright like her mother. He is currently in grade 11 he wants to be a brain surgeon. I make sure he never misses anything, but he cannot stop missing his dad. Though I try to take him, so visit his dad occasionally. I miss my younger son, but I have to wait until he finishes the elementary school. There are awesome beaches which I like spending my weekends there. People here are very friendly and welcoming that I have met many friends than I expected. Getting a job here was not a problem since I had a first degree. I got a job within a month in Broome hospital, and the pay was good.my life outside the college was amazing socializing, and partying was the order of weekends. I can visit my mother and siblings in Tennessee once in a year, and my son comes to spend with us during the holidays. Their father has been supportive of taking up his roles despite the separate lives that we live. Now I do not have a reason why I should not take my education to the next level. Am planning to continue with the master when am done with the degree. I have come to realize that nothing can hinder you from achieving your dreams no matter how far you go through with challenges and weak finances. Determination is essential to making every thought in the world. It does not matter where you start from; your dreams and ideas are valid. Prostate cancer awareness in Broome town, Australia Purpose: The objective of the design was to request funds to provide prostate cancer awareness in Australia. I purpose to have a six-month plan to keep men in Broome town, Australia up to date with the research I have done and awareness on the causes, treatment and the importance of early diagnosis. Statement of Career Objective: My goal is to obtain a challenging and meaningful position in the medical field, which will contribute to my knowledge and progressive growth as a medical professional. I want to exploit my potential and a sense of obligation for the benefit of the society. Project importance: the project seeks to help men who suffer in silence and go to hospitals when it is too late. My grandpa was 71yrs when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in its late stages and all the doctors could provide was comfort until he passed in the same year. Most projects run awareness on breast and cervical cancer and forget that prostate cancer is a killer among men today. In 2010 statistics, showed that many men die of prostate cancer than women who die from breast cancer. One in four men is likely to suffer from prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is becoming a threat to Australian men. In the same year, 19,820 cases were diagnosed, and 3200 men died from the same disease. Furthermore, the disease was reported to be responsible for 13% of the total deaths in Australia in 2007 and the fourth leading male diseases. Research shows that prostate cancer is expected to increase 25,000 cases in 2020. If prostate cancer is diagnosed earlier, it can be cured. Those who survive the disease are at high risk because the illness is linked to their genetics. Prostate cancer risk factors: Several factors contribute to the risk of getting prostate cancer. Age is considered the highest contributor to prostate cancer. Men who are above 85 year are at high danger of getting the disease. Men who are 50 years still have a chance of getting it though it is very rear. It is why at this age there is a need to be screened for the disease. Family history is also another factor. Men with relatives who have suffered from the illness are at high risk. According to research, if your brother had the disease you are in great danger of getting it that someone whose father had the disease. In this case, the screening should be done at 40 years to eliminate the risk. However, the research shows that inherited genes account for only 5% risk. Research shows that Africans are at high risk of getting prostate cancer than whites. In addition, when they are diagnosed it has mostly advanced stage. It is not proven why this is so. Research also showed that high fat intake is a risk to prostate cancer. It is common in countries where meat is their main meals than in countries who are vegetarians. Obesity is related to the disease. It though those obese men are at high risk of getting aggressive prostate cancer and are more likely to die from it. The reason is not clear why it so. Smoking has been linked to risk for prostate cancer though to a small degree. Men working as firefighters are at high-risk of getting the disease because of high toxic products that they handle. Research also shows that men who have undergone vasectomy are highly susceptible to getting the disease. Some studies have shown that geographical conditions also influence the risk of prostate cancer. It is believed that people in African are at high risk of getting prostate cancer than people living in Europe. However, it is having not been proven scientifically why it is so. Project method: I will conduct an adult education forum on possible causes, signs, the importance of early diagnostic examination of prostate cancer and treatments available to them. I will offer my training to men in focused groups, St. Joseph’s hospital and through posters. I will ensure men are also aware of their entitlements and informed decision-making. I hope to reach out to 1200 men within Broome town, Australia in six months. I will conduct an educational forum at the University of Notre Dame. I will involve speakers who have personal experience and doctors who have specialized on cancer. I hope to reach out to 500 college students at the end of six months. I will write a newspaper that will inform the community of the current issues about prostate cancer. I will make 50,000 copies and hope to circulate within the six months. I will also create a page on social media about prostate cancer awareness. Viewers will have to like the page in order to view the content. Project outcome: To educate 1200 men about prostate cancer awareness To reach out to 500 college students with information on prostate cancer To provide follow up information to 800 affected families. To reach out to 50,000 people with prostate cancer awareness through social and mass media. To actively engage in the community of prostate cancer awareness. To present my findings to the ministry of health to help them get the real situation on the ground about prostate cancer awareness. Evaluation: Under adult forum, will provide spreadsheet sign-in that will help me compare with the target attendance. I will also provide a survey of the audience that will comment on the content, suggest changes and recommend further speakers. I will have a follow-up on affected families who came to the hospital. For the college students, I will physically count the number of student attendance and compare with the target crowd. They will also be given short questions to evaluate the effectiveness of the forum. I will counter check the number of newspapers produced and what I remain will. I will also invite the readers to give their responds. I will verify the number of likes and compare with the target population. The viewers will have a chance to comment on the content. Budget: The budget of my project will be 50,000 Australian dollars. A prostate cancer foundation will provide 20,000 Australian dollars. Australian cancer research will provide 10,000 Australian dollars, and I have written a letter of commitment of 5,000 Australian dollars to McGrath Foundation and I am waiting for his approval. I have also applied for government grants and waiting for their approval. I intend to spend 50,000 Australian dollars in research, 30,000 Australian dollars on data collection, 10,000 Australian dollars on data analysis and 5,000 Australian dollars on write-up and presentation. Expected challenges: Lack of funds, my proposal may not receive the grant I expect to use in the all project. This will force me to use the limited resources, which may not reach the target population. Lack of sufficient communication- The team we I will be working with may not provide enough information to enough people or ignore some essential information. The lack of an infrastructure or culture for good communication is also a limit to the research. Research competition-many projects usually compete for resources in terms of money, people and time. It is a challenge because it limits the amount of grants offered and limits the target population. Expected learning outcomes: The information passed through an advertisement, mass and social media will spread and reach more people from the center. Many men in Brooke town will go for cancer screening and those affected with receive counseling and learn to live positively while receiving treatment. More cancer centers with better facilities with are set up to reach out to people at affordable prices. I anticipate presenting my research at the University of Notre Dame in November, 2015. I also plan to submit my research findings to the ministry of the health of Australia. The project will benefit the department in understanding and better dealing with issues of prostate cancer. Project timetable: January 2015-March 2015: Completed review of the literature, obtained the approval letter. April 2015-May 2015: Recruit participants, prepare and implement cancer survey. May 2015- October 2015: Data collection November 2015: Data Analysis and presentation. I will submit my final project to the University of Notre Dame for publishing. References Farrar, P. c. (2008). Guide to surviving prostate cancer. Genetics in medicine. (2014). Cover your bases. Jennings, D. (2010). A rush to operating rooms that matters means live. Marks, S. (2007). Prostrate & cancer. Mtalbott, S. (2011). Nutrition, Exercise & Prostate cancer. Read More