Support group for men with cancer launched
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Dr Dexter James has given thumbs up to the launch of a support group which will give men who are journeying with cancer the opportunity to be a tower of strength for each other through networking.
The Conquering Men Support Group, a unit of the Cancer Support Services, was launched out of a growing concern that there was a need for a men support group due to more men seeking counselling and there being a noticeable need for men to express themselves openly to each other.
The group’s central aim is to offer a forum of mutual support to enable the members to become conquerors of their life challenges.
Delivering remarks at the launch, held at Accra Resort, last Thursday evening, Dr James said he had observed that men were not always willing to discuss personal issues affecting them, especially health related problems.
On that note, he called on the members on the group not to limit their discussions to only medical related conditions, but to also expose the conversations to topics that can be enriching and enlightening for men.
“Men don’t like to talk about their own sexuality. Men don’t like to talk about impotence. Men don’t like to talk about particular addictions that they have and through this forum you could widen the scope of discussion to include a number of men issues that they ordinarily will find it difficult to talk about,” Dr James said.
The CEO said he was also aware that when some men are first diagnosed with cancer or other life threatening diseases, they often feel alone and saddened. But, Dr James said that he was happy to note that that feeling of loss would now be replaced by comfort and strength men will be able to gain from the participating in the group.
Actor and popular emcee Antoine Williams, who is a member of the group, said he hopes the members will become brothers and band together to speak about their fears and concerns.
“The public outpouring which I have personally received on the announcement of my diagnosis is overwhelming. But there is another side to that and that is a lack privacy which you don’t enjoy . . .”
“But I know that you who have started this group that we will all support each other, we will talk and we will share. But more importantly, we will laugh. We must laugh about our own experiences. I find laughing to be very therapeutic,” Williams said. (AH)