Jul 2023 – Page 13

SOCORRO!!! ESTÃO NOS ENVENENANDO!! / Original – Portuguese (2023)
Note: Sandra’s letter was translated into English using software and may contain some inaccuracies.

from thefreeonline on 2nd July 2023 by Sandra Procopio da Silva at ufgd.edu.br pdf

Agrotoxic plague in Brazil and worldwide is a capitalist genocide

I am a 51-year-old woman and at 40 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At that time, I underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy, lost my hair, gained 20 kilograms, became unrecognizable, and almost died

“Enough cancer..STOP Fumigating us! – Argentina: Pueblos fumigados y la enfermedad como estrategia de dominación

In 2015, I had metastasis in my lumbar spine, experiencing excruciating pain only bearable with high doses of morphine. I lost the use of my legs, spent months in the hospital, and then had to use a wheelchair and relearn how to walk.

In 2020, for the third time, I had to treat cancer, this time in my cervical spine. During the treatment, I lost my voice and the ability to eat, losing 10 kilograms in two weeks during the pandemic. At this moment, I am undergoing my fourth cancer treatment.
I received most of my treatment through the public healthcare system in my country, which I proudly support. I believe in a public, comprehensive, and high-quality healthcare system.

It was after turning 40 that I had access to public policies and obtained a scholarship for a Master’s degree. Later, I passed a public university professorship exam. I went on to earn my Ph.D.,conducting research on settlements, women, indigenous peoples, agroecology, and food sovereignty.

Currently, I live and work in the region where I was born, in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, inthe Midwest region of Brazil, on the border with Paraguay.

The numerous tests I underwent showed that the cancer was not of genetic origin but “probably”due to environmental contamination.

We are going through a pandemic, and we have all fought hard for the continuity of life. However, in recent years, I have witnessed another epidemic unfolding before my eyes: a staggering increase in cancer cases.

It used to be rare, and now every one of us has someone in our family, neighborhood, or friends affected.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there will be over 700,000 new cancer cases per year in Brazil until2025! Almost 60,000 new cases per month! The response from the government and corporations is to build “cancer hospitals” instead of questioning the corporate food system anchored in agribusiness, which produces cancer!

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