Dana Reeves
And now Dana Reeves has been diagnosed with Lung Cancer. Will the beast never stop?
I know Dana Reeves knows a thing or two about beating the odds. I pray that she will do so with this battle as well.
As horrible as it is for people like Dana Reeves and Peter Jennings to have had to suffer with this blasted disease I am glad that it is finally getting some press.
But at the same time I'm irritated because the news can't get away from blaming it on the patients. Yes smoking increases one's chances of getting lung cancer. But I will never, ever understand why the first words out of people's mouths when they find out a person has lung cancer is, "Did they smoke?" It's so much bigger than that.
More people die of lung cancer each year than from breast cancer and prostate cancer. Yet Lung Cancer gets FAR LESS funding for research. That doesn't shock anyone because the underlying feeling is that Lung Cancer is the fault of those who have it. That's poppycock. We fund research for those suffering from strokes and heart attacks when many of those can be prevented with a healthier lifestyle. We fund research for other cancers that can be linked to poor lifestyles and food choices. But since smoking is an easy target, we think it's logical for us not to fund a 'preventable disease.' That's a stigma plain and simple folks. It's wrong. It's unfair. It's hurtful to people suffering from such a debilitating, devestating illness.
I think my new mantra is We need a Cure. Not a Stigma.
I know Dana Reeves knows a thing or two about beating the odds. I pray that she will do so with this battle as well.
As horrible as it is for people like Dana Reeves and Peter Jennings to have had to suffer with this blasted disease I am glad that it is finally getting some press.
But at the same time I'm irritated because the news can't get away from blaming it on the patients. Yes smoking increases one's chances of getting lung cancer. But I will never, ever understand why the first words out of people's mouths when they find out a person has lung cancer is, "Did they smoke?" It's so much bigger than that.
More people die of lung cancer each year than from breast cancer and prostate cancer. Yet Lung Cancer gets FAR LESS funding for research. That doesn't shock anyone because the underlying feeling is that Lung Cancer is the fault of those who have it. That's poppycock. We fund research for those suffering from strokes and heart attacks when many of those can be prevented with a healthier lifestyle. We fund research for other cancers that can be linked to poor lifestyles and food choices. But since smoking is an easy target, we think it's logical for us not to fund a 'preventable disease.' That's a stigma plain and simple folks. It's wrong. It's unfair. It's hurtful to people suffering from such a debilitating, devestating illness.
I think my new mantra is We need a Cure. Not a Stigma.
posted by Val @ 8:44 AM
2 Comments:
At 5:30 PM,
Anonymous said…
Will chant it right along with you! Great going!
At 9:59 AM,
Anonymous said…
Well put! We're always so anxious to assign blame and separate ourselves from the victims of disease. Somehow it makes us feel like we're safe. No one is safe. And while I am so sorry for the timing of these two "news stories", I agree with you that it's time to put some energy here whether it can be related to smoking or not! My mom's lung disease was due to smoking, no doubt about it, but that doesn't mean she deserved to die from it. She was still a mom, a grandmother, a person. Plus, my mom started before all this info was so public. She was a victim to. We did the same thing with aids. Let's just focus on the lives we can save and leave the judging out of it.
Hope you are hanging in there. You're in my thoughts.
Karyn
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