Friday, January 20, 2012

f cancer

Right at this moment, I personally know three women who are dealing with the crapfest that is cancer.  All with different kinds, all with different treatments, all with different expectations for life beyond their diagnosis. 

This post is a response to the Breast Cancer 3-day commercials.  The people featured in them; I'm assuming actors performing the written text from the very helpful and supportive Susan G. Komen foundation; they repeat lines like "we will eradicate breast cancer, once and for all."  My response, No we won't.  We will better learn how to find cancer.  We will better learn how to treat it once it is found.  We will better learn how to deal with the diagnosis once it is given.  We will always, always, always have cancer in our lives. 

I have always had cancer in my family.  As a child in the late '70's or early '80's, my great-aunt died of breast cancer.  (I think that's what area the cancer was, since at that time, and in my family, we didn't talk about it.)  We talk about it now only briefly.  My grandparents both had colon cancer.  They both found it early on, and had treatment and surgery and finished out their long lives to die of other causes.  My aunt was diagnosed with a late stage cancer when she couldn't figure out why she felt so sick and wasn't getting any better.  She died in the hospital five days later. 

Especially in the U.S., we surround ourselves with so many chemicals that knowingly cause cancers that we no longer even think about it.  Pesticides, plastics, cleaning products, lotions, cosmetics, tanning beds, fabric protectants, exhaust, smog... these are just the things I can think of as I write this.  We seem to taunt cancer with how much bad crap is allowed to wash over us and into us. 

And even people who are working hard to keep these carcinogens away seem to be fighting a useless fight, since the laws that are on the books are surely not there to help them out.  I am currently burnt out on politics.  I can't contact even one more politician to share my hopes for what things should be passed or whatever.  Gah.  So many politicians are useless bags of flesh. 

So instead of supporting groups that prey on the hurt of loss and the desperate need for hope by presenting the message that cancer can be like polio - a faint memory, I am supporting a charity that promotes education. 

Fuck Cancer (or the cleaner name F Cancer) reverberates with my own reaction to all this fucking cancer.  If it was a person, my 5 foot 1 3/4 inch self would totally kick it's ass.  But because it is an incideous, hidden, cruel disease that robs entire sections of the population of it's innocence, I can only hope to become better educated and support organizations that also educate. 

I am awash daily with all kinds of crap that might just be feeding a tumor to kill me.  But if I find that shit early, I can work with medical magicians to kick it the hell out.  I want to know more.  I want to help more.  I want to have a good long time from today when I truly don't know any lovely, joyful, crass, aggressive, funny, insightful, strong, sweet, calm, magical women & men who have had that crapfest talk with the doctor telling them they have cancer. 

If you feel a similar distaste for this disease, please check out the Letsfcancer.com website and decide if it's the place to share your funds.  Or just head over to learn more.  Knowledge is so nice.  Hopefully helpful too.

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