One Person's Opinion

http://www.itsyourtimes.com/?q=node/3761

Fri, 2008-07-18 19:37 — Wise Merlin

A Slightly Different Viewpoint

I have a slightly different viewpoint of the American Cancer Society.

First, it is the largest singular health corporation in the country and has been for many years. By that, I mean it has become the Cancer industry.

Second, it has receive more than 4 TRILLION DOLLARS SINCE IT'S INCEPTION from individual donations, corporate donations and government subsidies.

Third, in the sixty some years of its existence and all that funding, it has not cured ANY type of cancer. Yes, there are people that have become "individually" cancer free due to surgery, Chemo and other treatments, but they are in the minority. Leukemia treatment seems to be the closest to a real cure that works.

Forth, it seems to me the American Cancer Society has changed it's goal of "curing" cancer to "managing" cancer.

Fifth, many of the cancers have little or no greater life expectancy than they did sixty years ago. More than 100 years ago cancer was almost unheard of. Today cancer will affect one in four people.

Sixth, many times the so-called treatments kill the patient before the cancer does. Both of my parents died from the treatment rather than the cancer. My father WALKED into a hospital for radiation treatment for lung cancer and died two weeks later from radiation burns to the throat. My mother had successful surgery to remove cancer from her kidney, later received Chemo and died within three days.

Seventh, twenty percent of the moneys the American Cancer Society receives going to actual research is "in my opinion" an appalling statistic. A better question is, "How much goes to ADMINISTRATIVE SALARIES?"

Eighth, the American Cancer Society has never been a strong public advocate against environmental and corporate "cancer causing" pollution and the removal of these cancer causing agents FROM OUR SOCIETY.

Ninth, cancer treatment is one of the most expensive treatments in existence and it constantly costs more each year rather than less, surpassed for the most part, only by transplant treatment and rare disease treatment.

Tenth, it seems to me that the wealthier one is, the more likely they will survive a particular cancer and the poorer one is, the more likely they will die quickly from the same type of cancer.
I am sure there are many who find the American Cancer Society a comfort and many may attribute their "individual cure" to the Society.

One reason I feel this way about the American Cancer Society is because I remember more than twenty years ago Sixty Minutes televised a show depicting three critically ill "multiple" cancer patients who were bedridden and weeks away from death who were given an experimental treatment that COMPLETELY eliminated their multiple cancers within three months. (I recall it was about the time Interferon was another promising experimental treatment, but it was something else. I do recall something about the treatment attacked only cancer cells and the cancer cells could not function once attacked) Suddenly after that show aired, the treatment apparently fell into a black hole and was never heard from again.

God Bless those who are helped by the American Cancer Society, I would not deny them their joy, happiness and extension of life, but I am not impressed.

Wise Merlin