"We are NOT Victims"

• By pattyp1
• Posted October 9, 2008 at 8:21 am
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hey, Dianne,
what he didn't mention is that they have no idea why people get any kind of cancer. sure, there are genetic elements, and environmental elements, and ...
but, at the end of the day, there is no equation that pulls it all together and says "this is why it happened to you". sure, smoking is obvious, but it smoking is not 100% linked to cancer - there are folks around that smoke and don't get it and folks that don't smoke that do get it.

I am with you on this
hugs
Pat

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• By USMCCAT
• Posted October 9, 2008 at 9:09 am
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That is sad. I have a friend that has had BC twice. My dad died of lung cancer. How can I say this without sounding too scary??...It's not possible, I think...Even the very experienced hospice nurse dad had told me LC and ALS are ones that you do not want the patient alert when they die. BC, you take the breasts...easier said than done with lung cancer...JMO. ALL cancer patients get my prayers. No cancer patient should be treated any less or victimized.

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• By SusanL1
• Posted October 9, 2008 at 9:13 am
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WE WILL CHANGE THIS! It can't happen overnight, but it will be done! We did nothing to do this to ourselves, and we need to spread the word - NO ONE DESERVES CANCER OF ANY KIND!

Susan

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• By davecerami275
• Posted October 10, 2008 at 7:37 pm
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Funny I see this discussion today.

I went into chemo this morning, and EVERYBODY is wearing pink,,nurses,,receptionist,, administrators,, EVERYBODY!!

I asked an administrator (pogue),,whats up with all the pink? After he told me it was breast cancer awareness. I told him ,"Thanks dude,,now I feel like the ba$tard child of cancer.

seMPer fidelis

Dave

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• By greccogirl
• Posted October 11, 2008 at 3:12 am
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Done nothing? How do they figure? Many things are linked to breast cancer -

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• By jazzbo
• Posted October 12, 2008 at 2:19 pm
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Cancer is Cancer is Cancer! How many times are we going down this road? We all need to open our mouths to anyone who will listen and start talking about how it feels to be a lung cancer survivor or for that matter any kind of Cancer survivor. We need to join forces and not ostrichize our selves anymore.
We all are sick to death of how we haven't gotten a fair shake. Early diagnosis, treatment, survival rates all need to be handled. Maybe if we can get in bed with these other orginizations we can get ahead by riding thier coat tails. I have hoped from day one 9 years ago that we would see some positive response to our plight. But how many times do we need to hit our head on the wall.
The Breast, skin, pancreatic and more seem to be getting really great PR. Why not lend our voice to theirs and share the wealth. I just wonder if we change tatics wouldn't they benefit from our voices also. The medical advances will come from research .
Look at all the advances that came from our space research that trickled down to us from this. We should be able to see results from others research if the people doing the research are open to looking for other uses besides one Cancer and not another.
OK I'm done venting. Just an idea. Not claiming it makes sense but maybe? - John

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• By Bette_Tx
• Posted October 12, 2008 at 2:36 pm
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Right, greccogirl, and smoking is one of the risks associated with breast cancer.

Bette

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• By D1
• Posted October 13, 2008 at 1:33 am
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If every single caregiver and patient on this site took the time to write their two US Senators, the US Representataive and their State Governor, that would be an awful lot of letters. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.....Breast cancer is squeaky; Aids is squeaky; lung cancer is too quiet.

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• By Isabelle
• Posted October 13, 2008 at 1:56 am
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I agree. We have to make more noise! I invite you to join me. I just started an e-mail campaign and sent it to ALL the friends on my e-mail list.

Let's ALL write to Oprah (which I just did) and ask her to do a segment on LUNG CANCER. It's the perfect time, given Paul Newman's recent death from lung cancer and the fact that November is "Lung Cancer Awareness" month. So let's "strike while the iron's hot"!

Here's all you have to do. Go to the Oprah link below and request that Oprah to do a segment on this cause which is so crucial.

If we don't speak up, nobody will!

https://www.oprah.com/ord/plugform.jsp?plugId=216

If the link doesn't work. Just go to "Oprah.com." At the very bottom of the page (in tiny orange print) there's a link to "Contact Us." Click on that, then when you get to the new page, look down at the 3rd bullet point (also in orange print) which says "Send us your show suggestions." Click there and then fill out your own personal message!

Let's DO THIS!!!!!

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• By greccogirl
• Posted October 13, 2008 at 3:49 am
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Yes, let's start asking every breast cancer person "did you smoke" and if they say yes "tsk tsk"...........

Why should they get a pass?

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• By Joycen
• Posted October 13, 2008 at 12:34 pm
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All the wonderful ideas on this board? Oprah? Been there, done that - - for years. The point is - don't keep reinventing the wheel. Hook up with those who have been at this for awhile so we can move ahead instead of starting from scratch repeatedly.

If even a fraction of the people who get on this board (along with as many friends and relatives they can recruit) would contact Lung Cancer Alliance, and ask how you can help, we could make progress so much faster. LCA will give you suggestions and walk you through any project you might undertake.

http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/involved/

Some ideas:
1) Get an LCAM proclamation in your state.
2) Set up an LCA group in your state. You can start with small steps like just setting up an email group with others in your state to decide on a course of action.
3) Host a small fundraising event to help LCA. LCA has worked hard to change the face of lung cancer in the general public and especially where it counts - in the arenas where the big research dollars are allocated.

Yes, we still have a huge image problem (thanks in large part to some of the very organizations who purport to represent cancer, yet continue to insist that lung cancer is all about smoking). Having been involved in lung cancer advocacy before LCA moved to Washington, DC, I can see how far we've come.

Yes, the first question people still ask about my husband is, "Did he smoke?" However, now they believe me when I say, "Never." Or more incredibly, many say, "Yeah, I know that lots of people getting it don't smoke."

Now we just need to move them to the point where they respond with LCA's mantra, "No one deserves lung cancer!"

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