"The pandemic is over," declared US President Joe Biden on Monday. "If you notice, no one is wearing masks; they all seem to be in pretty good shape."
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His comments were redolent of those uttered by World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus just days earlier, who said, "the end is in sight".
To a weary public, there's perhaps more than a ring of truth to this sentiment; lockdowns are over, more effective vaccines and antivirals are emerging, case numbers and deaths have plateaued and, as of today, face masks are only mandatory in healthcare settings.
But to others, the comments were heavily-freighted and removed from reality.
"If I were fit and healthy, I would have been the same as everybody when restrictions lifted - I would have thought, 'You, beauty! Let's start enjoying life again'," said Ballarat resident Graham Steffens, 44. "But for me and my family, the perceived threat just grows."
Like most during the height of the pandemic, when all but few were unvaccinated, Steffens put off scheduling in a general GP check-up after experiencing unusual fatigue and moodiness, which he sheeted home to the general toll of the pandemic on work- and homelife.
But under pressure from his wife and two boys, 10 and 12, he eventually relented. Within weeks of that appointment, following a routine blood test, Steffens was undergoing treatment for chronic myeloid leukaemia.
The diagnosis, Steffens said, left him broken, his "head spinning".
"I was frightened. I was nervous. My mind kept going to terrible places - will I see my kids grow up? What do I tell my kids without scaring the life out of them? What about my parents, who are interstate?"
Unlike most cancers, blood cancers are silent stalkers which can strike any person at any age, being neither linked to any particular genetic predisposition nor detectable through routine screening.
Their incidence is also on the rise, with over 370 Australians diagnosed weekly, making blood cancer the second most diagnosed and deadly of all cancers in the country.
The combined force of these considerations poses particular problems in terms of timely treatment and recovery, particularly for those in regional and rural areas where there exist common barriers to primary care.
Confronted with the twin realities that COVID-19 is three times more lethal in people with blood cancer, who are also less likely to respond to vaccination, Steffens said his voyage through treatment towards remission - a destination to which he is yet to arrive - has been acutely isolating, notwithstanding the profound support of his immediate family and the Leukaemia Foundation.
Everyday life, he said, continues to pose a material risk to his precarious equilibrium.
"[My life] is almost like a self-imposed lockdown. You can do whatever you like, but it's a risk to yourself and your family if you're infected," he said. "It's led to a lot of ongoing stress."
"My youngest fella wears a mask to school every day and I've had to say 'no' to visits from friends and family, because it creates more anxiety and stress than it's worth."
Recognising this, the Leukaemia Foundation has recently established a free support helpline for any person directly or indirectly impacted by blood cancer.
"We often think of illness in terms of its biological elements, but in an individual diagnosed with blood cancer, there's a whole lot of things going on psychologically, socially and financially," said Chris Tanti, the organisation's chief executive.
"I've seen it time and time again - people need more than just chemotherapy to recover; they need a range of community supports in place.
"Since restrictions were eased, there's definitely been a rise in psychological distress for both the patient and the familly - it's hard for everyone."
Drawing on his own experience, Steffens said the helpline lends individuals clarity and strength in what is inevitably a physically and mentally exhausting time.
"Being diagnosed with cancer during a pandemic was surreal, I'll tell you that much," he said. "It's felt almost constantly life-threatening, so for me the support from the Leukaemia Foundation has been absolutely crucial."
"In the end, it's about trying to live well with blood cancer, which is especially important when the threat of COVID-19 isn't over for you or your family."
The pandemic, in other words, continues to cast a long shadow over our most vulnerable, who now, more than ever, bear the brunt of its burden.
On any view, these are the people we leave behind as the world putatively moves on from a virus that has claimed over 6.5 million lives and counting.
- Call the free Leukaemia helpline if you or someone you know is impacted by blood cancer and requires support: 1800 620 420
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