| |
On the 6th of September, eight young people hailing from Kals in Eastern Tyrol undertook a five day Großglockner adventure. All of them are surviving paediatric cancer patients, also known as “Survivors” throughout the world. They were accompanied by lecturer Dr. Michael Dworzak, paediatric oncologist at St. Anna Children’s Hospital, researcher at the St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute and medical coordinator of this alpine tour. The team was completed with mountain guides, employees of St. Anna Children’s Hospital, the St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute, an outdoor psychologist and a filmcrew.
The campaign is part of the EC-funded science communication project „Overcoming cancer with research“ coordinated by the St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Helmut Gadner, director of the institute and medical director of St. Anna Children’s Hospital.
Race to the top of the Grossglockner: faith and mental strength are the key factors
The distance profile of the tour to the peak at an altitude of 3,798 meters made the participants sweat right from the start and meant significant physical exertion, overcoming uncertainties, enormous mental motivation and focus on the goal. In five days, the young people accompanied by their team of caregivers completed demanding stages, including force-consuming glacier training, step training on different types of rock and instructions on how to use a climbing harness and climbing irons.
When overcoming ice fields and fixed rope routes, the symbolism of this extraordinary project becomes comprehensible: the insider relationship on the mountain connects the participants. It offers safety and professional tools for overcoming the dangers and hurdles as best as possible. Children and adolescents with cancer are motivated and supported the same way by doctors, caregivers, psychologists and their families while undergoing often prolonged, stressful therapies.
Hans Thurner, coordinating mountain guide of the Rax training tour and the Großglockner ascent was highly impressed by his group: "These young people display an incredible inner strength, determination and endurance. These characteristics are the ideal prerequisites for alpine challenges." "I am trying to use what I have learned as a result of my cancer and the treatment in the everyday life, such as stamina, perseverance and anti-hopelessness. This way at least I did not go through all this in vain", explained Lisbeth, a seventeen year-old participant.
Passionate track and field athlete Sebastian who also plays soccer for SV-Zwölfaxing summarised his drive during his bout with cancer of the lymph nodes as follows: "Any time I felt especially down and was on the brink of giving up, my main goal was to return to the sport. This thought continued to drive and motivate me immensely."
"Normal" life through social acceptance
The project participants aged seventeen to thirty-six originating from Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovakia have been shaped by their battle with cancer and the different experiences after returning to the daily routine. Their cancers were conquered with aggressive therapies, including chemotherapy and radiation, bone marrow transplants and surgeries.
The mountaineers hope to draw attention with their ascent. They are asking for a society that treats young cancer survivors as "normal" and guarantees them equal access to education and work spaces, private or additional health insurance as well as life insurance. "I had cancer as a young child. Now I am employed. I am clearly cured and not a risk for society at all. The likelihood of me contracting cancer again is identical to the one of the regular population", declared Günther.
With respect to the health care system, paediatric cancer survivors ask for improved long-term follow-up care and a keen eye for specific medical concerns. The majority is no longer integrated in a uniformly coordinated follow-up care system after five to ten years. For example, it should be clearly regulated who is responsible in case of problems which might potentially be considered late effects of the treatment.
Sebastian, now twenty-one years old, returned to his job as an administrative apprentice after undergoing stem cell transplantation at the St. Anna Children’s Hospital and was dismissed shortly thereafter based on dubious arguments. He said indignantly: “My experience with fellow co-workers after my bout with cancer was awful to cruel. The reactions ranged from shallow and ignorant to atrocious verbal abuse. I often felt like a second class citizen.“
Overcoming the challenges in spite of a prosthetic limb
Twenty-three year old Zuzana from Slovakia was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer of the left leg when she was nineteen years old. Without treatment, this condition is fatal. Therefore, the bone of Zuzana’s left lower leg had to be partially amputated and she was fitted with a prosthetic leg.
Zuzana took part in the training tour to the Rax in preparation for climbing the Großglockner. During the challenging seven hour alpine hike, the young woman and the group climbed two mountain tops: Heukuppe at an altitude of 2007 meters and Predigtstuhl at an altitude of 1902 meters. "Naturally, more strength is required with a prosthetic leg, but the group has provided massive support to me and I was able to experience new and important limits." Due to her limited mobility, Zuzana did not join the Großglockner tour this year. But she had an optimistic comment for her decision: "I reached my Großglockner today."
The exiting stages until the peak is reached, the closeness to nature, the exchange within the group and the acquaintance with doctors and caregivers outside the regular working environment was evaluated as an extremely positive experience by everyone.
"Leaving the daily routine behind, climbing the peak into something new and breaking out of the clichés and the role of a cancer victim" is how Thomas from Tübingen commented on his motivation to participate in this project when he finished the tour after five gruelling days, in a jubilant mood like everyone else.
Immediately after descending from the mountain top, the enthusiastic trailblazers visited the paediatric cancer ward at the Graz university hospital to share their positive life experience with the local children and adolescents and to encourage them that the battle is worthwhile because life will go on for sure, be it with or without a handicap.
"Overcoming cancer with research" – an EU project generates know-how
The Großglockner ascent was one of a multitude of activities of the two-year EU-sponsored project entitled "Overcoming cancer with research" (overcomingcancerwithresearch). The goal is to publicise the correlation between improved prognoses for children and adolescents with cancer and the positive advances in laboratory and clinical paediatric cancer research. In addition, it is designed to sensitise the public for the concerns of survivors. "Several hundred thousand people worldwide have overcome their paediatric cancer. It is imperative that researchers, physicians and society consider this fact and the associated issues" stated lecturer Dr. Michael Dworzak.
Pictures of the tour are available by mail sent to Sandra Brezina or via the project's website.
|
sandra.brezina[.]ccri.at 
