As most of you know, my moma, Donna Smith, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer this summer. She is only 46 and has not smoked for 14 years (I think). She is responding VERY well to cancer (THANK GOD) and is down to only having cancer in one lung, and it has shrank by 50% after just 2 chemo treatments. I feel sure and confident my mother will come through this with flying colors, but many people do not have that opportunity.
My moma's mother, Joyce Bryant, passed away when I was 5 from breast cancer. She was only in her 40's. The only real memories I have of her was from when she was sick. She fought hard, but eventually she lost her fight with cancer.
My daddy's mother, Maebell Smith, passed away this spring from throat cancer. She was 86, and this was her second go-around with cancer. She had it 14 years ago, and became a survivor.
My boyfriend's godmother Carey Resnik passed away in June from stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to her liver. She was only 46. She was diagnosed just a few weeks before her death. It caught everyone off guard and happened before her family really even knew what was going on.
And here's a story of survival: My mother's step mother, Wendy Bryant, also had cancer. She beat it many years ago and is a survivor now.
So this is (most) of my personal experience with cancer, and I am only 24. This is a great illustration of just how much influence cancer has on all of our lives. However, I STRONGLY believe that it does not have to be this way. We've put man on the moon, mapped the human genome, set countless sattellites into orbit around the Earth, and done many other amazing things that I don't have the space to list... but cancer is still destroying so many lives. Lung cancer technology is virtually the same it was 20 years ago. 1500 people in the US are still dying from cancer EVERY DAY!
Here are some facts, courtesy of ACS' 2008 Cancer Facts and Figures.
- 10.8 Million Americans have some sort of history of cancer (from 2004). This includes people in treatment and remission.
- 1,437,180 new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2008. My moma and Carey are 2 of these. This figure does not include carcinoma in situ (noninvasive cancers), except of the bladder, and basal and squamous cell skin cancers (more than 1 million cases are expected in 2008).
- Over 560,000 people are expected to die from cancer in the US this year. That's 1500 people a DAY! Cancer is the 2nd most common cause of death in the US. One in four deaths in the US are cause by cancer!
- 5 year survival rates have increased by 16 % since the 70's, but it is still only 66%!
I (along with many other people) just don't believe it has to be this way. So here's why I posted all of this for you to read.
I urge you to go on to www.standuptocancer.org today. SU2C is working towards ending cancer altogether. They are working with top experts in cancer research to end cancer. Wouldn't that be amazing?
SU2C's nationally televised show comes on tonight at 8PM on ABC, NBC, andCBS to raise funds for cancer research. I ask all of you to at least watch this show, or visit the website, to increase your awareness of cancer, and how it affects all of us. If you can afford to make a donation, please do! Even $25 will help.
Thank you for reading this, and I am sorry if it is a little scattered. I wasn't planning to write this much (or anything) until just now. I kinda felt like I had to.
Love, Deanna
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