You have a good point Dottie. I had never witnessed cancer up close until my husband was diagnosed. It is a rotten, stinking disease and affects all the family members, not just the one with the disease. I think there is progress being made, but there are so many different kinds. One of my regular prayers is for cancer victims and their families.

Ditto.....I agree 100%. It also gets me going to.. along with those stupid commericals for Viagra. Men think that
thing rules the world!!lol

I've thought about this a lot too. My gramma died of ovarian cancer at 92. She beat colon cancer 25 years earlier. Then my younger sister and my oldest daughter both had breast cancer. Sister just finished treatment for her 2nd bout of breast cancer. Different kind, and caught very early stages. Then there's my dear grandson who has a non operable brain tumor. He's the son of my oldest daughter. I also have lost an aunt to colon cancer, an uncle to lung cancer, and another aunt who is battling lung cancer.
I agree Dot. Why can't they figure out something?
June 6th, we'll be in a CureSearch walk in Omaha, to raise more money for childhood cancer research.
Leslie

My friend Cherlyn who beat cancer about three years ago...then got lukemia a year ago and got it in remission....then got it again this year....Spent a month in hospital for chemo treatments....got a call yesterday. They want her back in hospital on Sunday (Mother's Day and also her birthday) to begin another round of chemo on Monday morning.
They told her unless she gets the bone marrow treatment it will keep coming back with less time between and stronger each time. And without the bone marrow she likely will not see her next birthday.

All of her family is getting tested for compatibility.

One cousin has passed with it...One uncle on mothers side has passed....and maternal grandfather has passed with it.

But we have a very large family on mothers side so three is not as bad as some families have experienced.

patti

"With all of the money going for research (supposedly) why isn't there a cure for at least some of the forms of cancer"! Exactly!! BUT...when you think of how much money is made on the TREATMENTS, you just have to wonder! Back when I was going to the cancer forums, I read how much $$ is spent on research for different cancers. Lung Cancer received the lowest amount of $$...because people have the attitude that smokers "deserve" what they get! NO ONE deserves to have to fight that demon...I don't care what they've done!!!!

I'm not sure what they think about the NON-Smokers with Lung Cancer?????

I lost my 49 year old husband to lung cancer and have lost many friends to other types of cancer. I am a moderator for a lung cancer message board and I can tell you that many people with lung cancer are non-smokers and are young and in the prime of their life. My husband used to say that he would bet everything he owned that there is already a cure for cancer. He used to say that he bet "the cure" was buried deeply under some building in Washington where no one would ever find it and that the discovers of "the cure" had probably been murdered to keep them silenced. He would go on to say that, if a cure was found, our economy would crumble. Just think of all the drug manufactures, hospital labs, doctors, equipment manufactures....need I go on....that would be out of business if cancer a thing of the past. I can tell you that I agree with his thoughts.

Oh yes, Lots of cancer in my family.....all women.

There was a ruling that was passed earlier this year or late last year, that sex-change operations will be covered by our health coverage. Yet so many cancer drugs and long-term illness medication isn't covered.

I also heard many years ago that there is a cure for the common cold, but it will never be come to pass because it means too much money lost to the drug companies for all the OTC cold medicines.

Country Bumpkin & Ann in Florida.....I thought that about, maybe it isn't as lucrative to find a cure, after I posted my rant. You know a car could be made to run on something not expensive, but the oil industry wouldn't let that happen. The same could be for the medical business, they are making too much $$$$$ on the lives of cancer and other disease sufferers. If that is true I pray there is a special place in he!! for those people involved. Dottie

My dad has had it and I've had skin cancer. I also work with a lot of people who have cancer since I'm a nurse. It's a nasty disease. I've also had a lot of patients with lung cancer and only one who didn't smoke. Very young woman who had a young son, it had metastisized to her brain. Doctors told her there was no hope but she still wanted to fight it. I don't think I'll ever forget her face.

I think we're all touched by it. My sister has cancer in both lungs, and she's a non-smoker. It's just all around us, so very sad to say.

I'm almost 56 years old and have not lost a single family member to cancer. Many other things, but not cancer. I've only lost one friend, a co-worker, to cancer. I was with her right up to the end and it was just awful to watch. I take the announcement of cancer by my KT "family", very serious. It hurts to see so many others hurting or being hurt, by this horrible, horrible disease. And I'm so sorry it happens.

Jodi-

My stepdaughter has fought the battle against breast cancer two times. Her first time she was a new bride of one month and only 25. Her second was four years later. According to the genetic testing of her type, she has a 80 o/o chance of another recurrance. Since she has had the masectomy, the new one may come to her ovaries.(according to their best guess.)
My best friend has just been diagnosed with leukemia.
I agree, everone is being touched by cancers. Kathy

Yes, I lost my husband, at age 53, with pancreas cancer - two years ago this past April - horrified by the number of new cases daily, in PEOPLE I KNOW! I am so sorry for those who are going through this, either themselves or a loved one.

Let's see - my dad, aunt, uncle, grandfather,3 immediate neighbours from 30-60, friends I've know over the years. Cancer, heart disease and children's hospitals/charities are always on my 'reach in your wallet' list.
I count my blessings every day. Trying to get my husband to quit smoking (he's working on cutting back right now). He won't get cancer - I probably will - grew up in a house with 2 chain smoking parents, and now my husband. I never thought I'd marry a smoker but what can I say.

It's a terrible disease that touches everyone.

I agree with putting funding in to real causes and not viagra!

What a horrible disease. My mom battled breast cancer, beat it and then it was ovarian cancer. That was 10 years ago, she is still with me so for now we are winning.

But I have lost too many friends, and just 2 weeks ago a dear friend lost her 40 year old daughter to breast cancer.

Yes - most of us has, it seems.

I've often wondered the same thing - and it always seems to me that money is most probably the key. I find it hard to believe we can triple split an atom but we have not been able to find the cure for cancer in general. A cell begins to split incorrectly and cancer forms. It seems to me that with all the brains in this world, that question should have been answered.

However, I'm stumped by this thought. If it could have been cured, then somewhere, a group of poeople know how to cure it. Individuals could make a GREAT deal of money and notoriety by letting this knowledge out to the press. Secrets such as this could never be kept, it's against human nature, I think.

I'm stumped. Maybe the real answer is that we simply aren't as smart as all that.

Sometimes (rarely) I come across cancer of this or that as 'cause of death' when I am poking around with genealogy. Sometimes it's 'old age' (anybody over 65!) or TB or another illness or injury that hasn't been fatal for the last sixty years. Many young women died giving birth. OFTEN, there is no 'cause' other than a vague 'pneumonia' or 'heart stopped'. Doctors or family simply didn't know why Susie sickened and died. (It may have been a cancer.)

Most of us alive today have never known life without 'medical miracles' of penicillin and vaccines, not to mention the role public sanitation has played in keeping people healthy, longer. Yet all this is *very* recent history.

Other nations do not 'treat' cancer as agressively (or as expensively -- in pain and in cost) as we do in the USA. IMO we, as doctors and as a people, are too apt to pursue the impossible too hard and too long with too little benefit to the patient or the family. I may be prejudiced by personal experience.

My mother died of leukemia at age 73 after a year in which she was hospitalized more days than she was out of hospital -- all to no avail. My first best friend died two years ago of a brain tumor; her last year was spent in exhausting pursuit of a post-surgical cure that had a 2% success rate.

Cancer is a hard nut to crack because it's not just a single 'disease' but many. There has been progress, but...I'm grateful for the growth of hospice in America.

There's a lot of things I can think of that don't need the funding they get. And oh yes, considering everyone on my mother's side of the family died of cancer, and her older sister was the longest living. She died at 60. I realize that I can fully expect to have my share of it before long too. I get a kick out of people still trying to say cancer is not genetic.

But I have to take issue with one point. There ARE cures for SOME forms of cancer. I personally know of a number of people who have been cured. I really think they've made large strides in the treatments of cancer. However the problem is cancer is of so many forms that there cannot be one cure for all. Much like influenza or "flu". People line up for flu shots and it's really laughable. Again this year, the formula which is a guess, was wrong. So everyone who made themselves a pincushion did it for nothing and how much money was spent on that? Multiply that by however many years. All because people are too lazy to wash their hands.

A friend is a doctor and I still remember years ago when he was just starting to practice his pet peeve was the MD telethon. His argument, with which I agree, was tha MD is nowhere near a cure, but there are things like diabetes and a number of forms of cancer which need the money for research and many experts agree that cures are far closer than for things like MD. But get a big name to endorse a cause-du-jour and people throw money at it like crazy. I never really watched the MD telethon before and ever since I refuse to watch it. Apparently many others are skipping it too since now they don't do the beginning to end, but only go on a few hours at a time.

Before I get flamed or banned for it, I should say that I do applaud Jerry Lewis for supporting something he believes in and in years past when he literally was awake and performing for days on end, that deserves credit. But I disagree with his choice of causes.

Oh, and last point: I think that "cancer" is a term that is thrown around much like "flu" has been. People used to, well still go I had the flu when they had an upset stomach, a cold, lack of sleep, a hangover or whatever else they wanted to give a name to since they didn't know what it was that actually affected them. I suspect that many things called "cancer" are so different that they couldn't in a rational world be called the same thing but since they don't know what it is, they don't know how to treat it or they misdiagnose or mistreat it, well, things continue.

I lost my mom, my best friend, my father-in-law, 3 aunts, 2 uncles, and neighbors to cancer, my life has been touched by it.

However, my life is also touched every day by dedicated researchers and scientists who are devoting their lives to finding a cure.

I'm also touched by students who are recipients of scholarships I have the pleasure to present. Many of them are posed to devote their careers to finding cure(s).

Please remember that there are many forms of cancer...there will not be just one cure. It takes many years and over $1Billion dollars for a pharmaceutical company to research entities and bring them through long-term testing and approval processes. Maybe 1 out of 1,000 (or even 10,000) finds it way to testing in humans.

With threats of R&D divisions losing some of their tax breaks, don't be surprised if pharmaceutical companies find it difficult to try out every single entitity. They may not have the funds to follow through. R&D does not make money in a corporation; it only spends. Without tax breaks, corporations may be in huge trouble.

I sincerely don't wish for my statements to seem "hot topics". I just feel I need to pay homage to those on the other side.

Cancer spreads like a wild fire in our family. My dad's side of the family has been hit hard. My grandmother, her 2 daughters and her 2 oldest grandaughters have all died from cancer. My niece and I are the only ones living. We both had breast cancer.

My grandmother died a week after I got married. I saw her for the last time on my wedding day. We all went to her house so she could be a part of the wedding. An wonderful woman. We came home early from our honeymoon so I could see her. She died about 30 minutes before we got there. Her oldest daughter had died a few years before her. The youngest one died several years after her. My oldest sister died almost 5 years ago. She had battled it for almost 30 years. I sure do miss her.

My niece was diagnoised with breast cancer when she was pregnant with her last child. They removed her breast and did cemo while she was pregnant. She got along well. This was 7 years ago.. I had breast cancer some 16 years ago. We caught it early and have not had any problems. I worry about my daughters..

I couldn't begin to list all the people that I have known that have lost their lives to cancer. I would probably be shocked if I started the list.

When I was going through my treatments I remember a beautiful redhead. She was such a charming lady. She had twin daughters that had just started college. She was a single mom and her brother always came with her. She didn't live long. I also was doing my radiation with a young fella. He had 2 small girls. He had brain cancer. Such a pleasant guy. Always had a smile on his face. He died, also. These are the things that stick with me. It is all so hard to understand.

Having a loved one, friend, neighbor or whomever is going through cancer is hard on everyone. I just try to do all I can to put a spark in their lives.. I had lots of people help me. Now I want to help others...

Susie

This is Mom's 4th cancer. She had 3 primary cancers. One in both breasts and colon/rectal cancer. The rectal cancer was so small the doctor thought he got it all. Apparently it sent out seed before it was removed. The tests of this lung cancer revealed it was the colon cancer that had spread.
The bad part is that we don't know where it will show up next.
It's hard to hold it together. Mom and I had a nice time today shopping for plants and I hadn't driven one block from her house before the tears came.
My uncle Joe was a smoker and lung cancer took him when he was 56.
Thanks for thinking of me Dottie. Hugs, Kathy

My mom died of lung cancer -- she had been a lifelong smoker. She was an only child, and her parents died relatively early from other things, so I have limited history on her side. My dad had colon cancer in his 60s, but it was caught early and he recovered very nicely -- he had had no symptoms -- Dr. found it while looking for something else.. Two of his siblings died in their 70s of colon cancer because they were not caught early and screening was not routine at the time.

I had my first colonoscopy two weeks ago, and I did have a noncancerous polyp. The Dr. told that colon cancer is a very slow growing cancer, and by the time it becomes symptomatic, it is too late to cure. Evidently, ever since colonoscopies have become routine, the incidence of death by colon cancer has dropped 80% (at least in the US).

By the way, the original research on the drug that became "Viagra" showed promising results as a vasodilator for hypertension/angina -- it was not researched for erectile disfunction. Somehow it was noted that it had a secondary benefit for ED, and of course the rest is history.

Some cancers are a virus and some cures have been found, but mysteriously that information is squished. Many cancers research programs just never quite get enough for their for their cures. Yes there are many types of cancer, but since all of us have the Cancer gene in our bodies, it is our enviroment and eating and other things that destroy the bodies immunine system Being positive really does help.

There is no record of any of my blood relatives(on either parent's side) ever having cancer.

I do think it's genetic, and runs in families.

My late husband died of metastasized prostate cancer, his brother died a year later of lung cancer.

Why should 50 people be flying 1500 miles with all expenses
payed to go to a convention on cancer,while a lot of people have to ask the cancer society for help? If you want help you have to ask for it. I had canvassed for the money for cancer until my mother never got one bit of help.I no longer will donate any money when it is wasted on the so called people who take care of it.
I now make chemo caps for cancer patients. At least I know the patients get something given to them.
Dolly

Our second child, our daughter has non hodgkins lymphoma. It is not curable, but they say manageble. She goes for tests quite often and so far it hasn't gotten worse. She will be 51 this Mother's Day.

Sue

I had forgotten about my childhood friend, Carlen. She died in the 3rd grade of luekemia. Sweet little girl, she only had one brother. I wonder if she would have lived if she had been born 20 years later and got the same disease.

I often wonder where all this money raised goes and how it is being used or if it is being diverted for some other use.

I was a little peeved today at a many paged glossy brochure that was in the newspaper to promote a lottery for Heart and Stroke. Okay if the printing and paper was donated but if not that would have been one expensive brochure to print up and I don't like to see the money I donate go to this type of fund raising since most of these brochures end up in the trash or recycling bin without ever having being looked at.

My sister has always said there will never be a cure for women's cancer because men are running the show.

I was a little girl of 7 when I first heard the word cancer. My little friend Danny had leukemia and all I can remember is he was bald and had tubes coming out of the side of his head (shunt) and his eyes were always rimmed in black circles.

Then my Aunt Lottie had lung cancer. Back then the skuttle butt was if a spouse had cancer it wouldn't be long before the other one had it and that was the case with my Aunt and Uncle. Cancer back then was talked about in hushed tones and hidden from your friends and neighbours. My Great Aunt Cissie had stomach and breast cancer years before that and I didn't know she had had cancer until the last 10 years or so.

After that there wasn't cancer in my family for a long time - heart problems yes, cancer no. My maternal grandparents and great grandmother lived into their late 80's and 90's. I remember talking about how we were a family of long lifers. LOL Once my grandparents passed that was the last of the long lifers.

At the age of 50 my sister Marjorie was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer and was given 1 month to live. That was 20 years ago. She fought tooth and nail to beat the odds of surviving but she did only to be told 2 weeks ago that she has cancer again in the same breast.

Then the pancreatic cancer started to show up in my family. First with my mom's brother Uncle Matt - his was quick - he died just a few months after his diagnosis and he suffered terribly.

Then my Aunt Elsie, my Mom's sister was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was in her late 70's. She had a mastectomy and some chemo. She was in good health for a few years before the cancer showed up in her bones. She didn't fight it this time and died shortly thereafter in Hospice.

Then my Mom who had suffered with Alzheimer's for many years was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just like her brother. Wasn't one disease enough? Mom lived only 3 months after her diagnosis. Because of the long term Alzheimer Disease and the spread of the cancer the Doctors and I decided to let her die in peace at home comfortably. That was the hardest decision I have ever had to make.

Then my Mom's cousin died of pancreatic cancer. My Doctor told me it wasn't hereditary but why did so many member's of my Mom's family have it?

Then just before my Mom was diagnosed with her cancer my sister Lizzie who was living and working in Saudi Arabia was diagnosed with double breast cancer. I stopped praying at that point, something which had given me comfort and strength to get through another day with my Mom. I felt my family was being wiped out with this terrible disease called cancer.

Lizzie had the best care she could get in Saudi Arabia from cancer doctors from around the world. She had a double mastectomy, chemo and very high doses of radiation. The treatment and drugs she received there have just recently started being used in North America. Lizzie still takes her chemo drugs and was told there is still a good chance that it wills how up in another part of her body. She is also suffering terribly now from the side effects of radiation.

I don't think there are many people who are not touched by cancer. I thought for awhile my family was lucky but that turned out not to be true. It is a time bomb waiting to happen.

I worry for my 7 nieces who are in their 20's and 30's. Jenny and Katie have their Mom and their Aunts. My niece Danielle has Aunts on both sides of her family who have had breast cancer. She and her Mom are going for genetic testing to see if they carry the gene for breast cancer. Danielle is a new Mom and said if she carries the gene she will have a proactive mastectomy. Most likely if she carries the gene the rest of do too. I feel like I am a moving target.

More has to be done. Governments have to stop funding stupid things and spend that money on more research. Our city is in the middle of a strike right now with their outside workers - garbage collectors. They told us with the money they have saved on the strike they want to give the money back to the tax payers. Someone wrote in the newspaper that instead of giving each homeowner $50 that we may be entitled to, to instead donate that money to the cancer clinic and hospitals so that they may purchase an MRI or better imaging equipment that will find cancers earlier. I certainly wouldn't miss that $50 and thought the person had a great idea.

Cancer is big business for drug companies. Why would they want to find a cure?

Anne

My father died at 53 from cancer back in 1973. It was intestinal, I don't know if he would have survived longer with today's treatments. He first got cancer at about 45, faithfully did everything he was supposed to, not a smoker or drinker, went in every 6 months after his first surgery, suddenly it had just spread and he was gone in a couple of months.
I had a hysterectomy after precancerous poylps were removed and grew back quickly, it was decided to operate would be best. I have a mammogram every year. Do I feel safe? No.

My grandmother died from breast cancer the year I was born, my twin sister died from it in 2000 and 2 of her daughters have had it. Plus my ex DIL had bc also. My brother had colon cancer and my DH had prostate and skin cancer. So, yes, my family has been hit with the disease.

I just lost our next door neighbour to throat cancer. She was diagnosed just 4 weeks ago. She was a good friend and I will miss her. My cousin is also fighting the same. He has had radiation and chemo and is doing OK so far. I pray he will be OK. He is only mid 50's. I pray for everyone here who has been touched by this horrible disease.

It seems to touch everyones life.
I lost my first wife to ovarian cancer when she was just 42.

Ron

I've been Googling and found a NY Times article that says the death rate from cancer has not changed much since 1950. In the same timeframe deaths from heart disease and stroke have declined tremendously.

The article says of 100,000 people of all ages 200 will die of cancer this year. Of 100,000 people over 65, 1000 will die of cancer. The death rate is just not budging. (I have to wonder about all the 'treatment' going on!)

Although we can find some cancers earlier, many are not life-threatening. We are not able to know with certainty which cancers are which -- 'not to worry' or 'deadly'. There evidently are enough in the 'deadly' category to keep the rate stagnant.

So many families have suffered so much sadness. I sometimes wonder how we go on, except...what else can we do? Part of being human is being able to feel emotion. I do have the comfort knowing I will see my loved ones again in the here-after. I lost my Mom when she was 50 from lung cancer that spread to the brain. my Aunt, her sister, died of breast cancer and my brother was lost to lung cancer. Thanks to all that shared their stories. Guess we don't feel alone. Dottie

Fortunately,I can say,I have not known anyone close to me,my family,or in my personal life that has had the misfortune of that awful disease..

"Fortunately,I can say,I have not known anyone close to me,my family,or in my personal life that has had the misfortune of that awful disease" - wow, that's amazing, it seems like everyone I know either has cancer or knows someone with it.

Of course, most of you know my son (almost 4 years old) had cancer, he's still considered in remission. I believe he's been cured though. It will be 3 years in July, since his last dose of chemo. He has a scan on the 22nd of this month - his last bloodwork (Feb) was fine, PTL. As far as our family though, other than one great aunt having breast cancer and my uncle having skin cancer and my FIL's colon cancer (caught early and he's doing great) there's not a lot of cancer in my family. And I have a large family. Bradley's cancer was a very rare type, we were part of a study they're doing to try to figure out what causes it.

Patti, so strange! My friend Cherlyn has leukemia as well - although she was diagnosed in November for the first time and is in remission. She just had her last round of chemo after having arsenic treatment. One of my best friend's SIL's just died of leukemia two weeks ago. My neighbor just died after her second round of breast cancer, end of last year. It seems like everyone on my street has had cancer in their household - and I just heard on the news the other day that TN has the 3rd highest cancer death rate in the states, so I guess it doesn't just seem like everyone either has it or knows someone who has it, they really do!

I am afraid of cancer. I fear that I might already have it and don't know it. A friend of my mom's has a daughter that was just diagnosed and mom says she just seems so healthy, you'd have never known. She went to the doc for something else and they somehow discovered it. Apparently it's all over and they cannot find the source, so they can't even treat it.

We have seen a few of the children we knew from when B was in the hospital pass away and it just breaks my heart. Having gone through it with him, I just feel so lucky he had the type he had. I just can't even imagine watching your child go through all the pain and suffering, then not even come through it. Ugh... It's too sad to even think about. I don't understand it either. I wish they could find a cure for all types.

My heart and prayers go out to all of you. Yes, I've been touched, too. A good friend, who was a second mom to my DD, passed, Oh My!, it's been six years ago now. It doesn't seem that long, but she barely got to see her grandson born, who is six months older than Damien. My neighbor has it, and has had it one place or another for years. We found out a couple of weeks ago that they almost lost her at Christmas. I've added her to the list I wear red on Thursdays for. My mom had kidney cancer, and had radio frequency ablation in 2005 for it. Thankfully, they find no more traces of it. And all my friends here.

On a happier note, It's nice to see you, Ginger!!!! We miss you. I was looking at Bradley's picture just yesterday! He's in my kitchen where I can say "hi" to hime!

Tami

1 of every 3 women will get cancer in their lifetime... 1 in 2 men will get it.. these statistics are staggering. I have no family history of cancer.. in fact almost all of the women in my family have lived into their 90's and 100's yet i was diagnosed in july with stage IIIa colon cancer at 42 years old..shock of my life...i had symptoms over a year and sadly i ignored them...
I think many of the lung cancer cases in people who do not smoke are from radon. i don't think most people take the time to test their homes.. or don't know that it can cause cancer...my brothers sister in law died from that cause..i also think that there would be less deaths from cancer if people would be their own advocates and do their research,,but most people don't bother to get second opinions and just trust their local oncologists and surgeons etc... and don't seek out other options.
I went to mayo clinic for my bowel resection to get a board certified colorectal surgeon who specializes in that kind of surgery and can remove alot of lymph nodes compared to a general surgeon who does just a few of these surgeries a year and gets an average of 12 lymph nodes.. i know people on my cancer forums that were stage IV and able to find curative treatments from other doctors when they were given just months to live from their local docs..too many people give up too soon...

Just sending lots of comforting hugs your way, Dottie. ((((Dottie))))