Irina Zhykhar: People need to overcome the cancer diagnosis

Photo by "EuroBelarus" Information Service

Next year the support center “In the Name of Life” together with Lithuania is planning to implement an international project bringing the communication between doctor and patient to a new level.

Minsk hosted a creative forum "Making Life", which was organized by the social and educational institution Cancer patients support center “In the Name of Life”.

The meeting, which took place on December 17, became an occasion to sum up the results of the year. Irina Zhykhar, the director of the Cancer patients support center “In the Name of Life” admitted to the "EuroBelarus" Information Service: "On the one hand, this year has been a good one, because there are plans and dreams that have come true, but there are tragic events as well because, unfortunately, our very involved activists are leaving.

The artworks crafted by oncology patients

The artworks crafted by oncology patients

The artworks crafted by oncology patients

The plans of the Centre include cooperation with doctors and improvement of the relations between doctors and patients.

- We already understand what format we would like our work to take. The audience is highly inward-looking, people need to overcome the cancer diagnosis. It is necessary that in their due time a person becomes ready to accept their situation and realizes they need help.

This year the Centre has made a successful experiment that will be continued.

 - We held lectures by the doctors who were invited through hospitals, clinics, city enterprises. We were stricken by the high level of the talks and the audience was more than 50 people. I provoke people to get rid of the stigma as this situation has become very obvious this year: people cannot overcome something within themselves.

- The trust between a patient and a doctor is of utmost importance and often doctors have no time to talk so both sides need to learn how to do it. The project will be realized at a number of oncologic dispensaries where we would offer implementing special techniques to prevent the occupational burnout of the medical staff.

Also next year we are planning to implement a pilot project on architecture and design on the basis of the Vitebsk Oncology Center. "EuroBelarus" will cover this project in greater detail later.

The participants of the creative forum "Making Life" shared their stories and tips during the event. Vera Kastsenich spoke about her felting club "Joy with my Hands." Vera started felting to get rid of the depression caused by chemotherapy. The woman thought: "If it helped me, why wouldn’t it help others?".

Vera Kastsenich

Natalia Siravehina, the Chef of the cooking school "Eat to Live" shared: "The first thing I did when I accepted my diagnosis was to start looking for information on how to eat healthy." She prepared small gifts for all the forum speakers: hand-made sweets made with natural ingredients and no sugar.

Natalia Siravehina  

The culinary topic  was continued by Valiantsina Malochka, doctor, deputy director of Cancer patients support center “In the Name of Life”. She presented the translation of the book by Evialina Tsikanavichutse, Lithuanian oncology nutrition expert ,"How to eat when you have cancer?".

Hanna Susha, the chair of the public association "Belarusian Consumer Protection Society" gave a speech on how to choose safe cosmetics and household chemicals.

Ala Ramazanava, a permanent makeup artist and a participant of the charity campaign "permanent makeup artists providing help to women who had undergone chemotherapy", presented her pieces of advice on the subject.

Moreover, the forum held a showcase of women’s hats where everyone could try them on, guest performances and competitions.

Trying on hats

Amusement competition "Juice shooting gallery"