Ranting
Ok, what the hell is going on? I mean WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!??!?!?!??!?!??!?!
In less than the last 24 hours I have heard news of 2 people who possibly have cancer. Now what I mean by possibly is that they are in the crazy medical no-man’s land where there are 50,000, count ‘em, tests, procedures, pokings, and prodings; and lots of doctor’s whispering in corridors; and that deep, crazy making, fear inducing, having to numb out your feelings because it is just too much to bear kind of a place (naturally this is my projections onto these people, I don’t know what they are going through, but I remember what I had to go through). AAAAAHHHHHHH.
What the hell is going on? I mean for a first world country/countries, with medical systems that are top notch, and the technology to do just about anything, how is it that cancer seems to be outstripping the GNP for expansion. It seems freakin’ exponential. Not to mention tragic.
Now being me, my default runs to anger instead of fear, and hence the “Ranting” title to this post. But it feels like a bit of a conspiracy even to me. Like the CIA (don’t they get blamed for everything) needs to get rid of some people. Or the planet has had it with all our freeloading and has found a way to thin us out (much like we do to plants we don’t fancy). What makes this different from a pandemic? Just the speed of it? Because if we add up all the people who have died from this dreaded mo-fo of a disease it has to come near to Holocaust proportions, no? When I was diagnosed with cancer 4 ¾ years ago, I had no “family history” of cancer. It is safe to say that that is no longer the case. We have suffered almost as many losses as there have been years in there. I mean enough already. Why the hell haven’t we stopped it? Why are we not doing more? Do we really need to be putting equal amounts of time into researching the cosmetic value of botox injections? HELLO. We can create a bomb that can kill gozillions of people, but we can’t find a cure for cancer? What the hell is up with that? (I realize I am oversimplifying it, just give me some space to have my feelings of anger, thank you very much). Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I have so had enough.
And me being me, I want to take action. Some kind of action. But not being a doctor or a scientist or a researcher, what they hell am I suppose to do? Raise awareness, raise money, raise the spirit of my great aunt something or other. What a horrible feeling of powerlessness and helplessness (is this what my precious friends and family had to go through with me? Apologies. And, a call to action). I so want to put this righteous anger to some good, kick-ass, change-the-world kind of use. But what?
Ok, I have got to stop writing and either find out what I can do just for now to start changing the world, or find a way to lower my blood pressure (lest I die from an exploding heart before cancer can get me!).
Prayers for these precious people please (peace of mind and healthy, healthy bodies), who shall remain nameless since they didn’t get asked permission to be the topic of my self-expression.
posted by Signy @ 10:32 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Signy, Driving into work, listening to CBC - interview w/lady journalist who has been in treatment for breast cancer for about one year. Being a journalist, she quickly realized that the best way for her to 'handle' her jounrey through treatment was with a journalist's curiousity - took pencil and pad to every treatment, asked tons of questions, developed relationships and got some rather unconventioal answers.
This is what I remember her saying: Doctors wish that the organizations providing the public with info. regarding cancer prevention would burn thier 7 steps brochure outlining what we can do to prevent cancer. The list is simply a good list for living healthy, what it manages to do, which is why the doctors hate it, is make people feel very guilty if they do develop cancer because they didn't follow the list closely enough and had that second glass of wine. Cancer is on the rise - it is not just being detected more, there IS more of it! It is quickly passing heart disease as the number one killer in North America - and less than 10% of ALL of the money raised in the name of cancer goes towards prevention (research and information), and, most of the budget allocated for prevention is spent on Stop Smoking campaigns - that message is out there, we know that. Doctors told her that they really do believe it is all of the toxic matter we have surrounded ourselves with every day that is most likely the culprit. They are discounting the role of heridity almost entirely. There is great concern that cancer will occur in even greater numbers in our children. The thinking there is that up to the 1950s the environment was still pretty clean, those of us born 1950 -1960 started with a clean slate. However, our children will have been influenced by the more toxic environment even before birth. The final bit of news that I thought quite alarming was that doctors are now saying that 1 out of every 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime.
I think we have a right and responsiblity to be angry. Very angry. The woman in the story has decided to make prevention her cause.
I am sure this is more info. than you wanted. I thought it was very interesting and, of course, concering.
And, I smile that you are furious on behave of others. Love, Nancy
Here is an email in response to this post from my dear childhood friend Sunny (that upon my asking, she gave permission to share).
Hi Sig,
Thanks for ranting, I rant too.
Here's something CBC brought to my attention a couple of weeks ago, there are some things I do here, things we can all do to protect ourselves and one another, maybe.... with hope and compassion... and our $$ in the market place...
Some links:
CancerSmart Consumer Guide
http://leas.ca/CancerSmart-Consumer-Guide.htm
Maybe you already know about it.... there are some other interesting threads there, but I do not know much about them. I think the woman who wrote the guide is a long time survivor and she sounded quite wonderful.
I am ever thinking of you beautiful wonderful and whole Signy. You are indeed courageous.
Much love,
Sunno
Conspiracy theories??? I am there!! But first this: This morning, Christopher Reeve's wife (I forgot her name) died of lung cancer, she was a non-smoker and did not have any family history either.
Now for the conspiracy theory: I heard a guy on CKNW (again I don't remember his name) talk about how far we have come in the fields of medicine and technology. He couldn't believe why we have not even come close to a cure for cancer. His "conspiracy theory" was that with the gazzillions of dollars invested and the millions of people working in the "cancer" industry, it is not in the best interest of "society" or the "economy" for us to find a cure...... Things that make you go hmmmm....
Oops, the post above is from me Milad.
So back to the question...
What the hell can we do?
I mean there is the prevent myself from getting it stuff. Educate other people in the prevent themselves from getting it stuff (God, I picture us all in our little Michael Jackson clean bubble worlds, not even getting to touch one another for fear we catch the dread disease).
But what can we do on a big scale? On a help the world scale? What doctor's door can I pound on, or what politician? What documentary can I see or make?
I want to DO something. I need to DO something! But what?
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
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