After my recent blog describing my son and sister’s diagnoses of
cancer and what it has meant to me, I received literally hundreds of
responses. I was overwhelmed with the messages
of support but more importantly, I was stunned with the number of response
stories of cancer in other people’s lives and what it has meant to them.
An oncologist told me recently that we all have cancer cells or
irregular cells in our bodies and there are a myriad of factors in each of us: genetics,
eating habits, and immunity factors, which drive the potential for these
irregular cells to grow and be labeled as cancer. So I ask, is there more cancer around today
or are we just more aware?
It seems that we all know someone close to us with cancer and I began
to wonder why. Is it because we are
living longer and our immune systems seem to wane as we age? Is it because we eat so much junk? Is it because we forget to exercise? Is it because we inherited it? The answer seems to be yes or all of the
above and none of the above.
If you don’t have a loved one diagnosed with cancer then you are
the exception these days and count yourself very lucky. In my age group of the 60 something’s, I can’t
find someone who doesn’t have cancer in their close circle. What’s important to glean from this factor is
not fear but strength. The more cancer
appears in our medical universe, the more research, surgical improvements, and general
health improvements there are as a result.
Remember when AIDS was a death notice?
Although there needs to be so many more improvements: obviously
the best would be the clear prevention of the multiple layer generic description
known as cancer; science and the medical community have made many advancements
to prolong life for those afflicted.
What strikes me as funny is the fact that cancer is such a broad based description
of multiple diseases which are extremely unique and definable in so many other
terms.
Cancer makes us all recognize the fragility of life; the
importance of the quality of life; and the current limitations of the medical
establishment. With more genetic testing
identifying prominent factors that encourage cancer to grow in each of us; one
has to wonder if these mutations of cells is escapable or an obvious result of
aging. Now that we can improve our life
force chances with the early detection of cancer cells, one has to speculate as
to why we all don’t get tested on a periodic basis to determine our hidden cell
damage. I guess it must be too expensive
and I have heard from some people that they just don’t want to know if they
possess the gene that may cause cancer.
I remember in college, a thousand years ago, when one evening when
we were pulling an all nighter supposedly
studying and someone waxed philosophic and asked each of us, “Would you want to
know when you were going to die?” I can clearly
recall my answer as “No.” I was
concerned that such information would dominate my life and make me think of
nothing else. For me, this would be
true; I would be obsessed with such information. What I would prefer to know is
do I have a time bomb in me that could go off in the near future? Could I prevent
the bomb from exploding if I just did something different in my life to prevent
it? Well maybe and that’s the rub. We don’t know what really prevents cancer is
some and not others. We only know what
to do in hindsight.
So for today, I will exercise, eat better, and wonder about my
genes donated by my ancestors and be as vigilant as I can or just eat chocolate
instead; that seems to work too. I guess
we all have to decide for ourselves; most of us just prefer not to think, I
think.
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