I found this article on msnbc.com today, and I have to say it is wonderfully written! My childhood pastor died from pancreatic cancer, so I connected to the story in a personal way. This topic is rarely broached, and I thought this article presented the situation in a positive and balanced way.
Check it out!
Check it out!
2 comments:
I like how the article added a little dark humor.
“The downside is some diseases don't lend themselves to generous fundraising. "I don’t think you will see much in the way of a 10K run for urinary incontinence," says Caplan.
And irony:
"...many breast cancer patients live to become an army of walking, letter-writing, TV-appearing advocates. Nearly 90 percent of women with breast cancer survive the disease at least five years.
On the other hand, “pancreatic cancer patients are dead,” points out Barron Lerner, professor of medicine and public health at Columbia University, author of a book called "The Breast Cancer Wars."
Which helps explain the full-page ad in the Oct. 1 edition of the New York Times, the day Breast Cancer Awareness Month kicked off:
“odds of surviving airline crash: 25%
“odds of surviving pancreatic cancer: 4%”
It made for an informative, slightly provocative and entertaining read.
It's that last part that got me. The odds.
My beloved grandma (Mimi, who comments occasionally on my site) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer OVER a year ago. Yes, she is ALIVE! She was diagnosed, had MAJOR surgery on her 70th birthday, and she is still alive and kicking a year after the diagnosis. Her doctors say it is a miracle. She now has NO trace of cancer.
I totally agree with this article. I can't run a Race for the Cure, unless I'm working towards a cure for the most fatal cancer there is. Maybe that's what I need to do. Come up with a catchy line and a neat T-shirt and organize my own funraising race. Any ideas for catchy titles, ladies?? :-)
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