Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, Vogue, and More Inspire Cancer Patients to Fight On

“You’ve got cancer” — the three words no one wants to hear. For patients and their loved ones, a cancer diagnosis can seem like the end of the world. In addition to the ravages the disease inflicts on the body is the debilitating toll of fear, uncertainty, and loss of self-esteem it takes on the mind. Having sufficient mental and emotional wherewithal to face the challenges of treatment and its aftermath can be an essential part of survival and the recovery process. Thanks to #raknevyrok (#cancerverdict, in English), a project co-sponsored by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, Vogue magazine, and the Center of Contemporary Art Kyiv, Ukrainian cancer patients and their families are being given the support they need to live their best lives.

As part of its outreach, #raknevyrok curates an uplifting collection of first-person accounts shared by cancer survivors. All of the recollections are united by one common theme: The most important part of the cancer treatment and recovery process is learning to live life anew. “We believe that these sincere stories will inspire and support patients who are just beginning the difficult fight against oncology,” the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation stated.

With ongoing financial support from Metinvest and other leading corporations helmed by Rinat Akhmetov, #raknevyrok isn’t the only oncology-centric initiative the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has spearheaded. In 2008, it launched Cancer Can Be Cured, the first major program in Ukraine focused on providing state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment care. Since its inception, it has offered direct aid to nearly 400,000 afflicted Ukrainians.

Understanding How Cancer Impacts the Psyche

In spite of great strides in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, on a psychological level, patients still associate the disease “with pain, limitation, disordered body, and even death,” noted a study from the Journal of Education and Health Promotion.

Overcoming the psychological harm caused by cancer is one of #raknevyrok’s prime directives. According to Daryna Brykailo, co-founder of Inspiration Family, a charitable organization that supports adult cancer patients in Ukraine, the critical factor in creating a healing atmosphere begins with putting the cancer facts into perspective.

“We are engaged in cancer education and want to make cancer understandable,” she explained. “There are two components … First, real fear that causes psychological changes in a person. There is also a more everyday concept … an irrational fear of illness. To get rid of [those], you need to understand the disease. Then the fear will go away.”

Gender Disparity and Cancer Diagnosis: Why Women Have It Harder

Any cancer diagnosis can create a cascade of negative psychological repercussions. However, since the perception of body image is often closely associated with how we measure our self-worth, when that image is threatened by cancer, the results can be highly detrimental to mental health.

“Body image is a critical psychosocial issue for patients with cancer due to the profound effects the disease and its treatment can have on appearance and bodily functioning,” an article in Psycho-Oncology revealed. “A rapidly growing body of scientific research demonstrates adverse psychological effects of body image changes associated with cancer, which can include debilitating levels of anxiety, social avoidance, depression, problems with intimacy and sexuality, and feelings of shame/inadequacy.”

No matter how society may strive to counterbalance the paradigm, the weight of the body image/self-worth equation has always fallen most strongly on women. From the day they’re born, women are bombarded with messages that conflate their appearance with their relative value as human beings. While girls tend to be praised for their looks, boys are traditionally judged by thoughts or actions.

It’s small wonder female cancer patients are more susceptible to mental anguish than their male counterparts. In fact, per a study published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, women are much more likely to suffer deep emotional distress as a result of a cancer diagnosis than men.

One Women Cancer Warrior Shares Her Survival Story

Understandably, when a woman is diagnosed with cancer, it can send her psyche into a tailspin. Still, many women report the loss of looks is infinitely less consequential than the potential loss of life and the impact it will have on their loved ones. Fortified by traditional gender roles, even when both parents share fiscal responsibilities, women often view themselves as the emotional linchpin that holds a family together.

In 2018, after her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer discovered during a routine cyst removal, Angela Hrytsai tried to learn all she could about the disease. One of the most valuable lessons she came away with was the importance of self-exams. During a subsequent home breast checkup, Hrytsai found two lumps that turned out to be malignant.

When her cancer was confirmed at the hospital, Hrytsai said she was in shock. “I couldn’t come to my senses after my mother’s diagnosis, and here it is … I didn’t believe until the last minute that all this was happening to me. I didn’t know how to tell the children about my illness … I sobbed for several days,” she recalled, “and then I calmed down and began to pick out clothes for the coffin.”

The Healing Power of Positivity

Hrytsai’s husband refused to let her accept the diagnosis as a death sentence. “Stop it. Everything will be fine,” he told her before launching a campaign to make her recovery the family’s top priority.

“He forbade me to do housework. He cooked and cleaned himself. He took care of the children,” she recalled. Hrytsai says her indefatigable husband also fed her a steady diet of positive movies to lift her mood.

Eventually Hrytsai reports the unstinting campaign of upbeat emotional support worked its magic and her attitude took a turn for the better. “I [began to believe] I could beat the disease. This positivity helped me; it helped a lot,” she revealed. “I am grateful to my family and friends for the care with which they surrounded me, for their constant words of support.” She also expressed her gratitude to the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation for donating equipment to the Volyn Oncology Clinic, where she was treated.

After Cancer: A New Life, a New Mission

While trained as an engineer, Hrytsai now considers helping other cancer patients cope with the disease to be her life’s work. “I am a psychologist, a mentor, and a support group,” she affirmed.

Hrytsai admits the disease changed her priorities. “I began to live in such a way as to [be open to] new impressions every day. I started traveling, meeting new people. I used to think about what will happen tomorrow. Now I think only about what is today.”

Hrytsai has been in remission for more than a year. Sadly, her mom succumbed to the disease after a three-year battle. Even so, with an original prognosis of six months, she believes reinforcing a positive outlook lengthened her mother’s life considerably. If living in the moment means living with cancer, Hrytsai wants people to know they can live in hope. “I want to appeal to everyone who has recently been diagnosed,” she declared. “Don’t give up. Don’t give up. There is life after cancer. Don’t be afraid.”

Click here to read more about Rinat Akhmetov’s efforts in Ukraine.