To Hell with Cancer

You know, we have pills to get you high, pills to get you low, pills to help with erections and pills to make hair stop growing or breasts enlarge or decrease (hormones - don't get too excited out there ladies), and of course pills to help keep you healthy (supposidly) like vitimins. Why isn't there a pill to keep you from getting cancer? Seriously, I mean, there are so many people out there fighting for grants to be able to afford to do their research (Thank you Dr. J). There as associations out there to help fund research and hospice and any care in between. And then R.J Reynolds continues to make and sell cigarettes to keep our trend of the most preventable form of cancer on the rise... and of course, since nicotine is addictive, people CAN'T stop smoking, even when they want to. Even those of us who don't smoke continue to be subjected to second hand smoke, which also causes cancer. Not all cancer is caused by cigarette smoke. I just happen to rant in that direction because I am still pissed that my grandmother passed away from something that could have been avoided - lung and brain cancer.

So, I am pleased that they have a shot now for girls to avoid HPV which causes cervical cancer. I am the pot calling the kettle black when I shout about this one - if people would insist on condoms or abstinence when they are in the dating (or playing) phases of life, HPV could be avoided too. I say I am the pot because I had pre-cancerous cells removed when I was 21, though I don't know if they were caused by HPV - that was not indicated by my doctor at the time. Nonetheless, it was a scary time for me.

Skin cancer - well, for those of you who bake in the beds... silly, silly people. You are as bad as the smokers (who I still don't put all of the blame on - I just wish we had a stronger quit system for them). Yet, the fact that tanning booths are legal is amazing to me.

You can see that I am on a rant. I HATE cancer. Who doesn't? I don't know any folks out there who are like "Yay, Lymphosarcoma" or "Rock on, Melanoma!", or "Asbestos Mesothelioma is so cool, don't you wish you had some!!" nobody says "I am so looking forward to seeing the oncologist - chemo is so much fun!!". In 2003 as I mentioned, my Grandma May passed away from cancer. This year, a sweet, young little boy named Brian Santos, who was a student in my school, passed away from a rare form of cancer. One of my best friends is fighting ovarian cancer and she is younger than me, my uncles both have fought with colon lesions and various forms of colon and prostate cancers (and are both ok), my grandfather died of colon cancer, my brother in law had testicular cancer, my aunt's brother has been fighting a brain tumor (and has been doing well), a close family friend has been very ill with cancer, my mother in law had cancer, the young Dr. that treated my tooth the other day is a breast cancer survivor. Yesterday we found out that someone very close to us has cancer as well (I will keep names out to allow this person privacy). What the hell is my point with this? My point is that cancer is everywhere. It can be genetic of course, but the reality is that EVERYONE, no matter who you are or what you do is at risk for cancer in their lifetime. Everyone. Why is this? I mean, we are all mortal, yes of course. But, why is cancer so prevalant in our world? Are we contributing to this beyond the cigarettes and sunshine? Are the incidences higher in 2008 than in 1908? Why can't we cure this? Why can't we prevent this? Now, let me take that back a second - we CAN cure some cancers. Even lung cancer can be cured at times now. Prostate cancer is one of the most cureable ones thank God, and skin cancer is becoming more and more treatable. It just seems to me that the all mighty dollar needs to be spent in the most efficient way to cure this terrible, all-reaching disease. We are at war over gas prices and terrorism, but in one year alone, the polution from the gas and the number of cancer deaths in the world will far outweigh the benefits from the war, no matter how "terror-free" the world becomes.

So, if you are reading this, please take a second and, if you have it, donate $1 (or of course more) to the American Cancer Society. This link will take you right to their donation page on their site.

https://www.cancer.org/docroot/DON/DON_1_Donate_Online_Now.asp

Thanks for reading my rant. God bless all of you who know someone who has cancer or if you have or had cancer yourself. God bless you if you don't know anyone who has fought with this either!