Read debbborra Depressed

jmears

Dear debbborra - I read your posting from a couple weeks ago and thought you must live on my street. Of the 30 homes on my street 20 of the residents have had cancer (me included). I live in MD and our state does have a high incidents of cancer of all types. It is depressing to see so many people suffering and dying ... I wonder why after so many years of research and so many promises of discovery the cure for cancer in the next 10 years ...why there is still so much. I hope you are doing better. Jamie

hummingbyrd

Jamie you hit the nail on the head with the statement "the next ten years".
Almost EVERY single research project ends with "the next 5-10 years".
I have made the suggestion on numerous occassions, not to focus on finding a cure for cancer, but to make it a chronic condition.
Seems like a reasonable request to me.
Get away from this "poison and burn" and focus on molecular therapy, designer drugs that target an individual's cancer and I will be a happy camper.
With more people having access to soooo much information, and starting to question like you,

Why haven't we gotten any closer to a cure?

I think the industry is going to be forced to come up with something...especially if collectively we start demanding something from our Congressmen.
Think of it, if every person with cancer had 10 friends and/or family members write their Congressman asking for research to focus on chronic treatments and get off of chemotherapy...and to make sure research was done independently of the various drug companies influence...just think what an impact we could make!
Cancer WOULD become something we could all live with like high blood pressure or diabetes.
Anyway, food for thought.
hummingbyrd

24242

Since my diagnosis I have seen this disease as my LIFE challenge. Being a realist and watching my grandmother's fight I realize we have been given a chance that is all and this chance allows us the ability to have a life prolonged for however long that is. My experience, since reading postings on this site and my own life experience is that people often ignore other signs because they truly believe in that word "Cure".
I couldn't have asked for anything more than to be here for my son and that I have been. I have no control over what might happen in my future but I take my high risk factors serious and truly listen to this body of mine.
My faith in any medical system was distroyed when the doctors believed in their hearts I had less than 10% chance of ever having the disease. I am left trying to find a faith now that other things have been happening and they will continue to happen because that is what is real. It is hard to have faith in my doctor who says that the lump in my jaw is in the lymph nodes and it isn't anything to worry about. It is hard to have faith when that lump feels and hurts like the other two lumps I had and they were eventually found to be cancer. It is hard finding the faith in a system that ignored so many things because I was a healthy, well built woman who showed no signs and still show no serious signs of illness, tired but not sick. I am going to try and live with this lump but have made it clear that because of the pain it causes that will be very difficult to do but I will try. What else is there to do when two doctors feel the same way and I still find it hard to trust them and their diagnosis.
I don't spend my life being consumed by this or anything for I truly know in my soul what I have control over and what I do not. LIFE GOES ON whether I am ready to go forward or not. Life is what we make it and I continue to think about that and do what I can to give my self that better life because I deserve it.
I have to have faith in just being for that is all there is...
Being good to myself and educating myself is the best that I can be.
Tara