MOVIE MONDAY - LAST CAB TO DARWIN

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” ― Mark Twain

With Australia Day being celebrated tomorrow, I thought it’s a good idea to review an Australian film that we saw recently. It is  Jeremy Sims’ 2015 movie “Last Cab to Darwin”, starring Michael Caton, Ningali Lawford, Mark Coles Smith. The story is based on Reg Cribb’s play and it was adapted for the screen by the playwright himself and the director of the movie.

Superficially, this is a road trip movie whose main theme is death, dying but also what it means to live and live well. Cab driver Rex (Caton), is a loner and when he learns he has stomach cancer and doesn’t have long to live, he embarks on an epic journey through the Australian outback from Broken Hill to Darwin to die on his own terms. His objective is to commit euthanasia, but on the way he learns several things about himself and his life that will prove to be valuable to him, even in the very short time he has left to live.

The film was successful at the box office in Australia in 2015, with over 7 million dollars in local box office receipts, as well as gathering an equal share of critical and audience appreciation that will translate into good sales and rentals of the DVD in the years ahead. The success of the film while surely depends a great deal on the script, direction and production, largely has to thank the winning performance by Michael Caton, who possibly has delivered the best role of his career thus far.

Caton becomes Rex and sympathises with his predicament, allowing the audience to sympathise with the character and the actor. This is a great winning point in any movie, the rapport that an audience feels with the characters. Caton’s long acting career in Australia and his wide experience with both comedy and drama roles serve him well in this film as he treads a fine line between humour and pathos. As the film is 123 minutes long, the viewer’s interest is sustained, the supporting actors also creating the right ambience for Rex’s journeys, the physical one as well as the psychological/emotional one.

Ningali Lawford-Wolf plays Rex’s neighbour, Polly, and is excellent in her role. Their relationship could have been worked on a little more as Rex’s character and the way that it develops does depend a lot on their interaction. Emma Hamilton plays a backpacker from London working at a pub and she makes the most of her role, shining with intelligent and subtle support of plot and the main characters. Mark Coles Smith plays Tilly, a young indigenous man and Rex’s fellow traveller. This was a little unconvincing and relatively weak plot-wise as some clichés were unavoidable, however, the interaction between Tilly and Rex provided lots of opportunities for humour and release of dramatic tension. The other legendary Australian actor in the film was Jackie Weaver playing the unconventional GP, Dr Nicole Farmer (loosely based on real life Dr Philip Nitshke). She played well but perhaps was not the best choice for the role.

Although not a masterpiece, “Last Cab to Darwin” was enjoyable to watch, had a good mixture of strong emotion and humour, was well acted and produced and generally directed well. It covered some important topics and had its heart in the right place. The ending was perhaps weaker than the beginning and there was lapse into the clichés of similar films. Nevertheless, a good film that we recommend without reservation.

HEALTHFUL EATING

“We think fast food is equivalent to pornography, nutritionally speaking.” - Steve Elbert

Ever-increasing amounts of data from dietary and scientific research indicate that the foods we eat can influence whether or not certain types of cancer develop in our body. It is generally believed by experts in the field, that high energy and high fat diets, which can lead to obesity, increase the risk of some cancers. Conversely, diets rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains help to prevent cancer. 

Diet is just one of the lifestyle factors that can influence one’s risk of developing cancer. Smoking, obesity, alcohol, sun exposure and physical activity levels are also important.

Here are the leading cancers in Western countries like Australia, USA, Western Europe and how diet influences their development:

Lung cancer is the number one cause of death from cancer in the world today and cigarette smoking is mostly responsible for its development in the body. There is evidence that diets high in vegetables and fruits are protective against lung cancer. Compounds called carotenoids (present in significant amounts in fruits and vegetables), as well as vitamin E, are responsible for some of this anti-cancer effect. The use of antioxidant supplements (beta-carotene and vitamin E tablets), has not been proven to be effective in either prevention or treatment of lung cancer and may, in fact, increase the risk of developing cancer in those who smoke.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women in the world. There is an increased risk of breast cancer with factors such as rapid early growth, greater adult height and weight gain in adulthood. Much of the risk of developing breast cancer involves factors that influence oestrogen levels during a woman’s reproductive life, such as age of menarche (first period), number of pregnancies and breastfeeding practices. Obese postmenopausal women have more than twice the average risk of breast cancer. Diets high in mono-unsaturated fat and high in vegetables and fruits may reduce the risk, while alcohol consumption increases the risk.

Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death of men in Australia. Vegetables, pulses (beans -soy in particular), seafood may decrease the risk, while a high fat diet that comprises mostly animal fat sources (such as dairy products, fatty meats and takeaway foods) may increase the risk. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant found in tomatoes, tomato-based products, watermelon and strawberries. It may also help lower the risk of prostate cancer.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world. Up to 70 per cent of cases can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity and a diet high in vegetables and fibre are protective, while a high red meat intake (especially processed meat) and alcohol may increase the risk.

In order to reduce your overall cancer risk, you should try to eat less of these foods:

Fatty processed red meats

Highly processed foods that are low in fibre

Heavily salted and pickled foods.

And eat more of these foods:

Vegetables, especially raw vegetables or salads

Leafy green vegetables

Carrots

Tomatoes

Citrus fruits

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, bok choy and other Asian greens.

Include more of these vegetables and fruits in your diet along with other varieties. Seasonal vegetables and fruits and a variety of these through the year is better than having “an apple a day”…

Eating seven or more serves daily of a variety of grains, grain products, legumes, roots and tubers will also provide protective benefits against cancer. The less processed the grains, the better. Diets high in refined starch and refined sugar may increase the risk of stomach cancer and bowel cancer.

Results of studies that show a protective effect of foods containing certain nutrients should not be taken to mean that these nutrients, when isolated and taken as supplements, will provide the same benefits for cancer prevention. In some cases, there has been an increased risk of cancer in those people who take supplements!

Consuming alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, breast and liver. The risk is even greater in those people who smoke. Alcohol has also been associated with colon, breast and rectal cancers. Men should drink less than two standard drinks a day and women less than one standard drink a day.

DAFFODIL DAY 2014

“You can be a victim of cancer, or a survivor of cancer. It’s a mindset.” - Dave Pelzer

Tomorrow, Friday August 22 is Daffodil Day in Australia. This corresponds with Southern Hemisphere Spring and when these beautiful bulbs flower in southern Australia. They have long been held to be a symbol of hope of the Spring that follows Winter, and thus they have been adopted as a powerful symbol of hope for cancer patients. Daffodil Day is one of Australia’s best-known and most popular charity events devoted to fundraising for research into cancer.

Cancer is one of the major killers in Australian society. Each day more than 100 Australians will die of cancer. Daffodil Day raises funds for the Cancer Council to continue its work in cancer research, providing patient support programs and cancer prevention programs available to all Australians. Daffodil Day helps grow hope for better treatments, hope for more survivors, hope for a cure for all cancers.

To the Cancer Council, the daffodil represents hope for a cancer-free future. Everyone can help in the fight against cancer by participating in Daffodil Day. Daffodil Day merchandise is on sale throughout August, and people can donate to Daffodil Day at any time.

I hope that I see a day where cancer is no longer a death sentence for many people, where treatments are effective and relatively free of side-effects, where people can take an active role in effectively preventing cancer. Worldwide research to which Australia is contributing significantly makes this hope a realisable one.

More about cancer here.

THE STIGMA OF CANCER

“Death is not the worst evil, but rather when we wish to die and cannot.” Sophocles

Last weekend we visited some friends and had afternoon tea with them. The company was pleasant, the food agreeable, the conversation lively, laughter plentiful and time passed very quickly indeed. To share some food with friends while talking about everything and nothing is one the choicest pleasures in life. I revelled especially in their company because one of them is recovering from cancer. The treatment knocked him about a little and the big “C” is always a word to sober one, but we are all confident that he is well over the worse of it and he will be fully cured.

Cancer affects one in every three persons born in developed countries and is a major cause of sickness and death in the world. The disease has been described since ancient times, but until recently, it used to be death sentence. Significant improvements in cancer treatment have been made since the middle of the 20th century, mainly through a combination of timely and accurate diagnosis, selective surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy with drugs. Such advances actually have brought about a decrease in cancer deaths (at least in developed countries), and grounds for further optimism are seen in laboratory investigations into elucidating the causes and mechanisms of the disease.

Cancer is no longer the dreaded fatal disease that people in the past called the “accurséd blight”. One is diagnosed and treated for cancer nowadays and in many cases is cured of their disease. In fact, some cancers have a much better prognosis than other, non-cancerous disorders. For example, a woman with cancer of the breast has a better chance of surviving her disease with better quality of life than a patient with cirrhosis of the liver, one of the consequences of alcohol abuse. My point is that being diagnosed with cancer this day and age is like being diagnosed with any other disease and if one maintains a good, positive attitude, has all the recommended treatments and is sensible about their regime and lifestyle, in most cases one can conquer one’s disease. Cancer should carry no stigma, as was very much the case in the past.

And yet, one of the clouds on the sunny day of the lunch with my friends was a little comment made during its course, that was said casually, as if it didn’t really matter: “Thanks for being here, it’s good to see you being here as if nothing had changed. We’ve missed quite a few of our friends ever since we told them about the cancer.” I laughed and replied, that of course nothing had changed… Initially, the import of the comment eluded me, but a couple of moments later I realised what he had meant. Some of their friends had been alienated by the concept of him suffering from the dreaded disease. They saw him as a man doomed, a “moriturus”, hence their reluctance to come and visit. Amusement battled with anger, bemusement with annoyance, astonishment with pity, all directed against these stupid people!

Of course nothing had changed in my relationship with my friends, or perhaps something had changed. The frequency of my visits, which I would endeavour to make more frequent. Even more than before I need to make my friend with cancer understand that he is the same person, he is my friend and I will do all in my power to give him any support he needs during this time of crisis. He needs me more than before now, perhaps. Stay away because he is sick? What a ridiculous concept! Stigmatise him? This day and age?

Underlying this of course, is the fear that many people harbour of death. Cancer is still equated in most people’s minds with doom, death and demise. Most people in the West have so divorced themselves from the idea of death and dying that to be near someone who is dying or dead is a repulsive idea. But this is another big topic to be considered at a later time…

DAFFODIL DAY 2013

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all.” - Emily Dickinson
 
Friday August 23 is Daffodil Day in Australia. This corresponds with the flowering time of these beautiful Spring bulbs in southern Australia, and just as they are a symbol of hope of the Spring to follow Winter, they have been adopted as a powerful symbol of hope for cancer patients. Daffodil Day is one of Australia’s best-known and most popular charity events devoted to fundraising for research into cancer.
 
Each day more than 100 Australians will die of cancer. Daffodil Day raises funds for the Cancer Council to continue its work in cancer research, providing patient support programs and cancer prevention programs available to all Australians. Daffodil Day helps grow hope for better treatments, hope for more survivors, hope for a cure for all cancers.
 
To the Cancer Council, the daffodil represents hope for a cancer-free future. Everyone can help in the fight against cancer by participating in Daffodil Day. Daffodil Day merchandise is on sale throughout August, and people can donate to Daffodil Day at any time.
 
In Federation Square in Melbourne, the Cancer Council has constructed a daffodil garden of hope. People can write their messages of hope for cancer sufferers, be they friends, family members or even themselves, while the blooming daffodils provide a ray of sunshine in even the dullest of gray Winter days. I hope that I see a day where cancer is no longer a death sentence for many people, where treatments are effective and relatively free of side-effects, where people can take an active role in effectively preventing cancer…

FOOD FRIDAY - BEETROOT SALAD

“To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist -- the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know exactly how much oil one must put with one’s vinegar.” - Oscar Wilde
 
Some years ago, I thought that beetroot was a vegetable rootstock that one ate only cooked. We had had it frequently at home, boiled and sliced, served with its greens, as one of the basic ingredients in borscht and of course pickled. I then tried raw beetroot at a restaurant and it won me quite over. Since then we frequently have this beetroot salad.
 
Beetroot’s main benefits are that it contains no fat, very few calories and is a great source of fibre. Beetroot has for many years been used as a treatment for cancer in Europe. Specific anti-carcinogens are bound to the red colouring matter which supposedly helps fight against cancer and beetroot also increases the uptake of oxygen by as much as 400 percent. Additional studies are taking place to add support to these claims. The green leafy part of the beetroot is also of nutritional value containing beta-carotene and other carotenoids, which function as antioxidants. The leafy part of the beet also contains lots of folate, iron, potassium and some vitamin C.
 
BEETROOT SALAD

Ingredients
 
2 carrots very finely grated

2 beetroot very finely grated

The tender leafy parts of the beetroot (discard the stalks and tough leaves) finely chopped

2 Lebanese (small, gherkin type) cucumbers, julienned

3 spring onions, finely chopped

Salt, pepper to taste

1 teaspoonful dry mustard powder

Vinaigrette dressing (3 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic vinegar)
 
Method

Mix all ingredients together except for the condiments and dressing. Dissolve the salt, pepper and mustard powder in the vinegar and then make the vinaigrette. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix well and serve with fresh, crusty bread.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

BOWEL CANCER SCREENING

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” - Mahatma Gandhi

I consider myself very lucky to live in Australia. It is a vast, beautiful, bountiful country with rich resources, a good standard of living, good health care and a social welfare system that looks after citizens. Our economy is in a comparatively healthy state, the unemployment rate is relatively low and most people live their lives with dignity and happiness. In the last few years things have been changing. Unfortunately these changes are not always for the good of the majority of the population. Our system has been moving away from that of a democracy that is socially aware and is committed to the well-being of every Australian, towards a system more aligned to the tenets of capitalism where big business and the rich are favoured, to the detriment of the middle classes and the poor, whose standard of living is becoming eroded.
 
One of the most useful and socially responsible things that we can be thankful for in Australia is the Government-sponsored and supported programs that involve health screening of the population for common diseases like breast and bowel cancer. These two cancers are not only exceedingly common in Australia, but also can be fully cured if treated at an early stage. This is the reasoning behind the routine screening that is done on ostensibly healthy people and which discovers early curable cancers that have not shown any symptoms.
 
The Cancer Council launched the “Get Behind Bowel Screening” campaign in June 2009 in response to the Federal Government ignoring its calls to provide a fully implemented bowel cancer screening program. It is 13 years since the Government’s own expert medical body recommended all Australians aged 50 and over, be screened for bowel cancer every two years. The Government is currently only funding a one-off test for 50, 55 and 65 year olds, but with more than 14,000 men and women diagnosed (and more than 4,000 people dying) in Australia every year from bowel cancer, more need be done. Around 90% of bowel cancers are curable if caught early.
 
Bowel cancer kills 73 Australians every week (the nation’s second-biggest cancer killer, after lung cancer) affecting both men and women. Regular screening is important because someone can have bowel cancer without any noticeable symptoms. It is Australia’s most expensive cancer, costing an estimated $1 billion each year to the health system – mostly in taxpayer-funded pharmaceutical and hospital costs. By expanding the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program the Australian Government could reduce health system expenditure and save lives.
 
Every Australian should actively become involved in this great campaign by the Cancer Council in order to convince the Government of the necessity of a fully implemented bowel cancer screening program. We should be contacting our members of parliament in order to get them to support this call for action. This can be done at the Cancer Council’s site.
 
If it is fully implemented, the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is the most effective measure available to the Australian government for immediately reducing bowel cancer death in Australia. It has the potential to save more than 30 lives a week! This is what our politicians need to understand and act upon…

ANOTHER CASE OF CANCER...

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” - Winston Churchill

 I had some rather bad news again today, as another friend of mine was just diagnosed with cancer. I guess this is to be expected in my age group as most cancers tend to cluster around middle age at the time of diagnosis. The most cancers are diagnosed in individuals around the age of 55 years. As most of my friends and colleagues are approaching this age, it is to be expected that some of them will be unlucky enough to develop a cancer. This is especially true living in a country like Australia where, 1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. Cancer is a leading cause of illness and death in Australia: An estimated 114,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia in 2010 and more than 43,000 people are estimated to have died from cancer in 2010. Nearly 15,000 more people die each year from cancer than 30 years ago, this is due mainly to population growth and ageing.

However, the good news is that the death rate from cancer (number of deaths per 100,000 people) has fallen by 16%. More than 60% of cancer patients will survive for more than five years after diagnosis. The survival rate for many common cancers has increased by 30 per cent in the past two decades. This is due to earlier and more accurate diagnosis, better forms of treatment and increased supportive and adjunctive care for patients.

The most common cancers in Australia (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers, which are very common and easily cured) are cancers of the prostate, colorectal (bowel), breast, melanoma and lung cancer. Around 434,000 people are treated for one or more non-melanoma skin cancers, with 448 people dying in 2007. Cancer costs more than $3.8 billion in direct health system costs (7.2%). $378 million was spent on cancer research in 2000-01, 22% of all health research expenditure in Australia.

As far the individual is concerned of course, these statistics are of little importance and the foremost thought in the sufferer’s mind is: “I have cancer and it might kill me”. A large part of the management of cancer patients has to centre around educating them about their disease and mitigating the fear that they feel. Nowadays, many cancers can be completely cured provided they are diagnosed early and treated appropriately at this early stage.

One of the more common forms of cancer, breast carcinoma, has shown a remarkable improvement in its prognosis over the last 20-30 years. A breast cancer patient’s prognosis depends on the type and stage of cancer as well as their age and general health at the time of diagnosis. If the cancer is limited to the breast, 98% of patients will be alive five years after diagnosis (this figure excludes those who die from other diseases or causes). If the cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes the five year relative survival drops to 83%. These survival rates are considerably better than the survival rates of some other non-cancerous diseases (for example, Hepatitis C).

I talked to my friend and provided as much support as I could. I encouraged and motivated as much as possible, but most importantly I listened. Allowing a person to unload is often all that need be done in order to lift the burden they carry and to comfort the person. I shall meet my friend face-to-face of course, over the next couple days and be there to give as much reassurance and solace as possible…

THE LAST AUTUMN

“As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.” - Leonardo da Vinci

A friend in Europe has been battling cancer for several years now and despite her valiant efforts and the best medical care, she is fast losing the last battle. Her cheerfulness, her optimism, her positivity and selfless sacrifice in the face of a certain death make her a very special human being. Her emails even now, have been full of humour, wry observation and a resignation to death that is only seen in people who know how to live, and have lived a full life. I was devastated when I learnt how little she has to live and if she sees Christmas and the New Year through, she will be doing well.

We chatted on the phone several times in the past couple of weeks and her irrepressible energy and her good humour, that were hallmarks of her winsome personality, unfortunately were somewhat reduced. Peaceful forbearance has replaced her indomitable fortitude, but her courage still shines on strong and unquenchable. We love her very much and we are with her every precious day that is left to her. Her family and friends are there nearby to support her and spend these last few weeks with her.

This poem I wrote for you, Jean…

The Last Autumn

Autumn comes to me for the last time
With only Winter to look forward to, now;
No more the blush of Springs,
Nor the Summers’ laughter.

The flowers, singing birds, blue skies,
Are now only a souvenir,
Preserved in the watercolours
Of the painting on my wall.

Love peters out, flesh withers,
My graying hair, no longer dyed.
And you beside me, remind me
Of the golden days gone by.

Winter ahead, rain in my eyes,
Snow in my hair, cold in my heart.
My fingers bare twigs, clutch at
Fleeting memories of healthy youth.

Jacqui BB hosts Poetry Wednesday...

TEA FOR TWO

“If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.” - Japanese Proverb

“Picture you upon my knee Just tea for two And two for tea Just me for you And you for me...alone”

So the old song goes, and the wonderful beverage from China, made now a citizen of the world and after water is the most popular drink worldwide. Tea refers to the agricultural products of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods. Tea also refers to the aromatic beverage prepared from the cured leaves by combination with hot or boiling water, and is the colloquial name for the Camellia sinensis plant itself.

Unless you drink your tea iced, chances are that you enjoy it scalding hot! Iranian scientists have published a study in the British Medical Journal where they report that drinking steaming hot tea has been linked with an increased risk of oesophageal cancer. The oesophagus is the muscular tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. The study found that drinking black tea at temperatures of 70˚C was associated with a heightened chance of developing this cancer.

Oesophageal cancers kill more than 500,000 people worldwide each year and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type. Tobacco and alcohol are the main factors linked to the development of oesophageal cancers in Europe, America and Australia. Until now, it has not been clear why other populations around the world have high rates of the disease although there has been a theory that regularly drinking very hot drinks damages the lining of the gullet.

Golestan Province in northern Iran has one of the highest rates of OSCC in the world, but rates of smoking and alcohol consumption are low and women are as likely to have the cancer diagnosed as men do. Tea drinking, however, is widespread. The University of Tehran researchers studied tea drinking habits among 300 people diagnosed with OSCC and compared them with a group of 570 people from the same area. Nearly all participants drank black tea regularly, on average drinking over a litre a day.

Compared with drinking warm or lukewarm tea (65C or less), drinking hot tea (65-69C) was associated with twice the risk of oesophageal cancer, and drinking very hot tea (70C or more) was associated with an eight-fold increased risk. The speed with which people drank their tea was also important. Drinking a cup of tea in under two minutes straight after it was poured was associated with a five-fold higher risk of cancer compared with drinking tea four or more minutes after being poured. There was no association between the amount of tea consumed and risk of cancer.

Because the researchers had relied on study participants to say how hot their tea was, they then went on to measure the temperature of tea drunk by nearly 50,000 residents of the same area.
This ranged from under 60C to more than 70C, and reported tea drinking temperature and actual temperature was found to be similar. Hot black tea is a tradition in the Middle East

Previous studies from the UK have reported people prefer their tea to be about 56-60C - cool enough not to be risky. In a British Medical Journal editorial, David Whiteman from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia said: “The mechanism through which heat promotes the development of tumours warrants further exploration and might be given renewed impetus on the basis of these findings”.

Dr Whiteman advised tea-drinkers to simply wait a few minutes for their brew to cool from “scalding” to “tolerable”. Adding milk, as most tea drinkers in Western countries do, cools the drink enough to eliminate the risk. Oliver Childs, a spokesman for Cancer Research UK, said: “Tea drinking is part of many cultures, and these results certainly don’t point to tea itself being the problem. But they do provide more evidence that a regular habit of eating and drinking very hot foods and drinks could increase your risk of developing cancer of the oesophagus”.

Linda Solegato has said that: “Iced tea may not have as much wisdom as hot tea, but in the summer better a cool and refreshed dullard than a steamy sweat-drenched sage - leave sagacity to the autumn!”; but perhaps there is much more wisdom in iced tea after all!