To whom it may concern:
I feel funny writing that… because it seems as though almost no one is actually really and truthfully concerned with Lung Cancer besides people who are diagnosed, family members, caregivers, a small group of advocates, and the doctors and nurses who actually treat lung cancer on a daily basis. Sad right? In my book yes!
See the truth is….Lung Cancer kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, pancreatic, and liver cancers COMBINED… Yet, it is the least funded of all major cancer. This is unacceptable and I will not let it hold me down anymore.
Lung Cancer is the number 1 cancer killer of men and women in this nation. Believe it or not it’s not breast for women… and it’s not prostate for men.
While I would never sit here and argue that one cancer type is better than another I will bring up a very shocking fact… Breast cancer has an 85% five year survival rate! That’s amazing and shows how much progress they have made in science for breast cancer research… but what is not talked about is the horrific statistics for Lung Cancer. Lung Cancer only has a 15% five year survival rate. This is unacceptable. And I will not stop or be quiet until someone on a national level pays attention to this!!
People argue that Lung Cancer could have the same movement as breast cancer has… but the truth is… and I am talking about the hard truth not holding back anything… but with only a 15% survival rate we don’t have the bodies for a movement. Harsh I know… but it’s the truth. Of course family members are left behind and they can pick up the fight, but after a loss to lung cancer it’s sometimes hard to just pick up and say we are going to fight for funding and research when there is so little available.
I don’t know if I am being clear and I don’t think that people realize the amount of people we lose in the United States to Lung Cancer… but we lose 160,000 people a YEAR to lung cancer. I want you to picture for a moment a big boeing 757 jet… one of the HUGE planes that can hold up to 450 passengers…. Now I want you to imagine if it fell out of the sky and crashed. Surely it would be devastation and people would be crushed because 450 innocent people lost their life. Now, can you imagine what would happen if a boeing 757 fell out of the sky EVERYDAY all year long? Well imagine that… because that’s how many people die every day due to Lung Cancer. We lose a jumbo jet EVERYDAY of people who have had to fight Lung Cancer and didn’t make it. This is unacceptable.
And before anyone says… “Well if people would stop smoking there wouldn’t be lung cancer” they need to check their facts. 60% of the newly diagnosed are either never smokers or former smokers. Thus, if we eradicated smoking today… people would still get lung cancer for years and years to come. Smoking is an addiction… and a terrible one at that (I know because I was a smoker)… but the truth is that when these people started smoking we didn’t know it was bad for you. So the blame game is one that I am not willing to accept or play. And it’s time for the public to stop playing it as well. I would never argue that smoking doesn’t cause lung cancer or that it’s not a very big part of the disease, but it should NOT be the main focus. And it will not be the main focus as long as I’m involved!
I am 35 years old, a mother to three amazing children, married to the love of my life, am a daughter to an amazing mother, my daddy loves me, I am a sister to the best big brother a girl could have, an aunt to three awesome kids, a friend to many...and you think I deserve cancer because I smoked?
Everyone argues that you have to be old and half-dead to have lung cancer. Not true! I am a walking example of a young healthy woman who just so happened to get lung cancer.
Nobody deserves any cancer of any form!
And we surely didn’t and don’t deserve the questions that are asked when you tell someone you have lung cancer. Questions like “Did you smoke” or my new favorite question after I tell people that this type of cancer isn't from smoking is… “Well how did you get it?” If I could really say what I wanted to and not get killed I would…. But I always answer with southern charm and I just say “well… why does anyone get cancer?” If I could say what I wanted I would respond with “If I did smoke… would that make you care less?” I mean why do people even ask that question?
Ummmmm…. Helllloooo….. We have no freaking clue why people get cancer…. We don’t know…. So with this being said… I have no idea why I got cancer…. So please don’t ask me how I got it!!! If I knew I would be a rich woman!!!
So I challenge each and every one of you who might be reading this… please please celebrate cancer survivorship and supporting all types of cancer… but the next time you meet someone who has or had lung cancer… Please don’t let “did you smoke” be the first words out of your mouth! And when you are daunting your pink ribbon during the year or the month of October… consider wearing a white or clear ribbon in the month of November and share my story with someone. I’m begging…. A simple story can break the stigma associated with the disease and you could really make a difference. Please do this for me!
IF YOU HAVE LUNGS…. YOU ARE AT RISK!!!! Always remember that!
I don’t think I go through a day without thinking about what I can do to make a difference. I wish I had all the money in the world to give for research but I don’t… so I give what I can and that’s my voice. I am so blessed to be here and to be able to share my story with all of you.
I know that I have the potential to really make a difference in this horrible disease. I think to myself on a daily basis…. What is it going to take to get the public to realize what this disease is doing and how horrible it is? If you have ideas of how we can make a difference please let me know!!
Today has been an extremely cold and wet day. We have been hanging out in our pajamas and watching TV. I was supposed to put my Christmas decorations up, but, the mice had gotten into my Christmas tree and completely destroyed it. So far, I have a wreath hanging on the door. That's been the extent of my decorating...until I can afford a new tree. Again, I'm pouting.
Kevin is home with us until Monday night and is getting paid to sit around and do nothing all day. He loves every minute of it. We especially love not shopping on Black Friday (being broke doesn't help matters either).
My lungs are really hurting today. My legs are screaming at me. I'm pushing as much water as I can to try and raise my numbers so I don't get a clot. I just have been feeling really puny today. And it is on these days that I am so grateful that Kevin is home with us.
I've rambled on long enough. I may write a second blog later tonight. It has been one of those inspirational days for some reason. I really think it's the rain and the cold. Have I mentioned how much I love the cold?
A few words of encouragement...
Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick, hard. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that keeps me going and advocating is that I love what I do and I’m called to do it. You've got to find what you love. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. Keep up the faith and the fight!
No comments:
Post a Comment