This essay is concerned with the life story of an indigenous person’s health journey. This is a discussion that celebrates the journey of Archie Roach, the prominent indigenous songwriter and singer who was diagnosed with lung cancer and emerged triumphant by battling it gracefully like a fighter. In this context, the overall scenario of lung cancer in Australia is also discussed to contextualize the plight of indigenous persons affected with lung cancer.

Archie Roach carries the legacy of the doomed lost generation that the indigenous persons in Australia. He was stolen at the age of three along with two of his sisters and was transferred to the Salvation Army Orphanage. Roach was introduced to the world of music by her sister, Mary  who encouraged him to master the art of playing guitar and veered him towards music. He was born in Framinlingham Aboriginal Mission which is situated at Warrambool in southwestern part of Victoria. Archie Roach created a band along with Ruby Hunter, another Australian indigenous person who later became his life partner (Moore et al., 2014). His groundbreaking song ‘took the children away’ has been added to the Sounds of Australia registry in the National Film and Sound Archive. After the tragic death of ruby Hunter due to heart attack, Roach was devastated. Within a span of eight months, he became prey to a stroke during one his musical tours. Music played a cathartic role in the life of Roach who music as weapon to entrench his political and creative dialogue against the deplorable treatment meted out to the indigenous community at the hands of the white colonial government.

Cancer is known for damaging the cells of the human body and spreading at a speedy rate in the body. Cancer is an outcome of the growth of pathological cells and it continue to multiply in an unregulated and uncontrolled manner. Lung cancer can occur in any region of the lungs that includes the bronchi, bronchioles, trachea and alveoli. With the proliferation of cancer, there can be an impediment in the proper functioning of the lungs.

Roach has always been articulate regarding the sufferings of the lost generation. He was of the view that the indigenousness of a person exacerbates the health condition of the person. Roach is a beckon of hope for terminally ill cancer patients and cancer survivors. He convened the Cancer Australia’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cancer Forum in Brisbane on June, 2017. This prestigious forum brought together health professionals and health workers around Australia; there is a special interest in ameliorating the lives of cancer survivors belonging to the indigenous community (Flynn, 2018). Cancer has been found to be the second most highest reason for the cause of mortality among the indigenous population. Lung disease is one of the most common cause of death among the Australians. During the forum, the Lung Foundation Australia introduced indigenous health resource that is known as Archie Roach: Surviving Lung Cancer that includes a DVD documenting his experiences about beating lung cancer.

Understanding Lung Cancer

There is a confluence between Roach’s health journey and his musical career. Roach was admitted to hospital after he faced a blackout and Ruby Hunter; his soulmate had to go to the rehab. This decline in health paved the path for revolutionary musical momentum that continued to remain incandescent till the demise of Hunter. Eight months from Hunter’s tragic death, Roach during one of his workshops with children he fell down and could not move for some time. Archie Roach has been a heavy smoker throughout his life and during his childhood too recourse to alcohol as a way of dealing with the trials and tribulations of life. In the year 2011, Roach was diagnosed with cancer in his lungs. However, the brave soul he is, Roach continued to put up a steady fight against cancer. In 2012, Roach launched his much-acclaimed album titled ‘Into the Bloodstream’ that is symbolic of his struggle with cancer. 

Archie has shown tremendous tenacity in surviving cancer and growing up amidst tragic family situation. His perpetual sufferings, travails, trepidations and tribulations remain a glorious example for distressed people. Archie’s lived experiences remind that humans can emerge triumphant even in the face of extreme trauma and trials posed by life. His tryst with cancer inspired him to take on the malady of cancer and become a staunch advocate dedicated to the awareness of cancer and related issues of health among the indigenous communities. He is has been instrumental in inspiring cancer survivors to embrace life rather than feeling pessimistic. Roach opine, “It is interesting, if I exert myself on a walk, my oxygen saturation levels go down, but when I sing they sustain at one level. When people sing they use the air of the lungs a lot more efficiently” (Archie Roach on learning to let go, 2018).

It has been reported that 1 out of 6 people are diagnosed with cancer in the indigenous community. The incidence of cancer among the indigenous people is 70 per and are more likely to be affected with cancer. This is in contrast with the non-indigenous Australians. Smoking has been identified as a key reason for the prevalence and proliferation of cancer among the indigenous community. The occurrence of lung cancer is found to be more prominent among the indigenous people who are inhabiting in the remote regions of Australia (Dunn et al., 2017). The degree of sufferings from cancer among the indigenous community is quite high as a result of which survival from the lung cancer becomes a difficult journey for the indigenous people. This incidence of lower rate of survival among the indigenous Australians can be attributed to multiple factors like high rate of smoking, reduction in the possibility of completing the treatment of cancer or receiving the treatment of cancer. There are certain risk factors are associated with cancer (Howard et al., 2014). Many people in the indigenous community have at least one risk factor associated with cancer. A risk factor may be defined as a factor that is concomitant to an enhancement in a specific health condition. There is the possibility of controlling or modifying certain conditions like the environment or lifestyle. Smoking is the primary cause for the rising incidence of lung cancer. It has been reported that the contemporary smokers are more likely to develop cancer which 9 times more than their people who are not smokers. People who have quit smoking are 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than those who have not been a smoker (Coory, Ho & Jordan, 2013). About 90 per cent of men in Australia have been diagnosed with lung cancer and 65 per cent of women die of lung cancer.

Smoking has been recognized as the primary cause of lung disease for the indigenous as one out of five people are found to be smokers. In 2010, indigenous people have the greater propensity to be affected due to smoking and developing lung cancer. There has been a dip in the rate of smoking among the indigenous people from 51 per cent in 2002 to 41 per cent in 2013 (Carlson, 2013). On a general level, the indigenous people are likely to adopt smoking at a tender age compared to non-indigenous Australians.

The development of cancer has correlation with family history of a person. It is found that if a person has family with a history of cancer, then the progeny has high chance of developing cancer.  This increase in the possibility of cancer is a result of shared genetic characteristics. The modifiable risk factor of smoking needs to addressed  in order to mitigate lung cancer. Some of the symptoms of lung cancer are abnormal coughing, the liberation of blood during the act of coughing, infection in the chest or pain in the chest, tendency for panting for breadth, sudden appetite loss, loss of weight or development of a hoarse voice.

Early detection of cancer is of primary importance in arresting cancer. There is an urgency to improve awareness in the community regarding the symptoms and risks related to lung cancer. Lung cancer diagnosis can be impeded by certain factors as it does not have any specifically recognizable symptom, sometimes it maybe coughing, another possibility is that people may feel ashamed to visit the doctors owing to stigmatization and taboo associated with diagnosed with illness (Worrall-Carter et al., 2016). Another reason is that many non-smokers are not aware that they too can develop lung cancer. There should be immediate attention paid to the occurrence of lung disease or else it may spawn to different parts of the body. Lung cancer has been identified as the most common.

Roach’s life chronicling his battle with cancer and the pivotal role played by music at the foreground encapsulates the triumph of indomitable spirit. Roach’s eternally optimistic attitude has led him to fight cancer and embrace the beauty of life. His journey also brings out his commitment towards the cause of music and believing in the essence of life. 

References

Archie Roach on learning to let go | The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 15 March 2018, from https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/2015/02/07/archie-roach-learning-let-go/14232276001457

Carlson, B. (2013). The ‘new frontier’: Emergent Indigenous identities and social media.

Coory, M. D., Ho, T., & Jordan, S. J. (2013). Australia is continuing to make progress against cancer, but the regional and remote disadvantage remains. Med J Aust, 199(9), 605-8.

Dunn, J., Garvey, G., Valery, P. C., Ball, D., Fong, K. M., Vinod, S., … & Chambers, S. K. (2017). Barriers to lung cancer care: health professionals’ perspectives. Supportive Care in Cancer, 25(2), 497-504.

Howard, M., Ingram, S., Liu, H., Mentha, R., & Peiris, D. (2014). To your door: Factors that influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples seeking care. Kanyini Qualitative Study Monograph Series, 1.

Flynn, E. (2018). Archie Roach still a powerful voice for Indigenous justice. the Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/2014/jan/23/archie-roach-still-a-powerful-voice-for-indigenous-justice.

Moore, S. P., Green, A. C., Bray, F., Garvey, G., Coory, M., Martin, J., & Valery, P. C. (2014). Survival disparities in Australia: an analysis of patterns of care and comorbidities among indigenous and non-indigenous cancer patients. BMC cancer, 14(1), 517.

Worrall-Carter, L., Daws, K., Rahman, M. A., MacLean, S., Rowley, K., Andrews, S., … & Arabena, K. (2016). Exploring Aboriginal patients’ experiences of cardiac care at a major metropolitan hospital in Melbourne. Australian Health Review, 40(6), 696-704.