126 chapter 6: Health exams
What regular health exams CAN tell you
Sometimes a person can be sick and not realize it until the problem has become
very serious and difficult to treat or cure. But many health problems can be found
by having regular health checkups. Some of the health problems that can be helped
if they are found early are: anemia (weak blood), tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and
other sexually transmitted infections, malaria, some cancers, high blood pressure,
worms and other intestinal parasites, and diabetes. Any woman, whether or not she
has a disability, can have these problems.
Bringing health exams to the community
Lizzie Longshaw knew that
most disabled women in her
community in Zimbabwe never
got pelvic or breast exams. Clinics
that were accessible were too
far away and too expensive for
disabled women. But she knew
how important these exams were
for women with disabilities. Because exams were not easy to get, many
women did not learn about their health problems until it was too late
and many died from cancer.
Lizzie, who is herself disabled, called together a group of women with
disabilities. Together, they learned as much as they could about cancer
and other health problems, and about how exams can help all women by
finding problems early. The group then persuaded a representative from the
Ministry of Health to meet with them about the health problems disabled
women face. They explained how disabled women had trouble traveling to
clinics and paying for health services. The representative was so impressed
with how much the women had learned, he arranged for the government
to provide a free, mobile clinic once a month to provide cancer screening
and family planning services for disabled women in that community.
Two of the most important regular exams a woman should get are breast exams and
pelvic exams. Two common cancers women develop are in their breasts and cervix,
and these tests can help identify and treat them early.
A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities 2007