"To fix health care, we have to fix Washington," he says at the end of the ad.
It's an anecdote Obama has been recently field testing on the campaign trail. This is how he told the story of his MOTHERS illness during a recent campaign stop in Santa Barbara, Calif.
"I remember my mother. She was 53 years old when she died of OVARIAN CANCER, and you know what she was thinking about in the last months of her life? She wasn't thinking about getting well. She wasn't thinking about coming to terms with her own mortality. She had been diagnosed just as she was transitioning between jobs. And she wasn't sure whether insurance was going to cover the medical expenses because they might consider this a preexisting condition. I remember just being heartbroken, seeing her struggle through the paperwork and the medical bills and the insurance forms. So, I have seen what it's like when somebody you love is suffering because of a broken health care system. And it's wrong. It's not who we are as a people."
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Obama and Ovarian circa '07
- By CATSMEOW
- Posted November 6, 2009 at 1:56 pm · 40 replies
- In Financial and insurance issues
- Shared with the public
Explore topics in this discussion:
Cancer Falls Avastin Zantac Breast cancer Ovarian cancer Pain Lung cancer
40 replies
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- By CATSMEOW
- Posted November 6, 2009 at 1:59 pm
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Has anyone heard anything about ovarian cancer from Obamas mouth?
Not me.
Keep Positive.
- By Milashka
- Posted November 6, 2009 at 2:46 pm
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As a president, he's not going to pick the one cause of Ovarian Cancer nor should he. There are so many Americans in bad health situations and he will need to look out for all of us and fix things for all of us. The health care system is seriously flawed here. I am lucky enough that I work at a university with excellent and affordable coverage. If OvCa had happened to me 5 years earlier, I would be dead now (no savings, assets or funds to get treated).
- By lifeisgrand
- Posted November 6, 2009 at 2:59 pm
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If that were true Milashka, there wouldn't be a huge pink ribbon hanging from the front of the White House today. That they did choose one health issue over all others says it all.
- By Shamrock2009
- Posted November 6, 2009 at 3:08 pm
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I think his reference to his Mother's plight in the speech was more about healthcare reform then about ovarian cancer. He is trying to change insurance pre existing condition clauses in the new bill. I don't expect him to channel funds to just ovarian cancer over other cancers just because his Mother died of ovarian cancer.
I found this message from Obama as part of Harper's Bazaar article about cancer research directed money:
"A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA
"My mother died of ovarian cancer at the age of 53, and in those last painful months she was more worried about paying medical bills than getting well. For millions of Americans, my mother's story is all too familiar. That is why we need health-care reform that guarantees affordable coverage for every American who wants it and prevents insurance companies from discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most. Earlier this year, I announced an additional $6 billion investment for cancer research as part of a long-term strategy to combat the disease, and the recovery package includes a two-year infusion of $10 billion for the National Institutes of Health, which funds cancer research. We know this fight will not be easy, but we have gone far too long without necessary reforms of our health-care system.
Now is the time to commit ourselves to waging a war against cancer as aggressive as the war cancer wages against us." —Barack Obama"
Full article:
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/beauty-articles/barack-obama-ovarian-ca ncer
- By Shamrock2009
- Posted November 6, 2009 at 3:59 pm
- Report post
I shared my disappointment regarding the Pink Ribbon raised at the Whitehouse. You can too.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/
- By CATSMEOW
- Posted November 6, 2009 at 5:00 pm
- Report post
I, too have excellent health care, no referrals needed, and pay a hefty 100 per week, yes week and am happy with that.
What will happen when someone tells me who and what treatments I need according to their standards?
You watched your mother die of ovarian cancer and all she was thinking about was how she was going to pay the bills? I worry about that every day.
On my death bed the only thing I will worry about is how I can make a positive influence in the people around me, not my F-In bills. Keep feeding the masses your bullshit mr. o, we all will see your true colors, eventually.
Keep Positive.
- By WillieT
- Posted November 6, 2009 at 5:42 pm
- Report post
Every time I go for treatment for my stage IV Ovca, I visit with people who are waiting like I am. The one thread that runs through most of the people waiting is the "media coverage" for breast cancer--the pink ribbon. These people, of course have a type of cancer other than breast cancer, just as I do. But when you look at the stats on cancer, it is quite easy to see why breast cancer gets the media coverage. Ovarian Cancer is considered a rare cancer with expected diagnosed cases per annum of 20,000 patients. Breast cancer diagnosis are more in the neighborhood of 190,000. It is clear to me that the pink ribbon is symbolic of all cancer because it touches more lives. I don't think that having a teal ribbon up would have convinced anyone to change their political bias.
- By lifeisgrand
- Posted November 6, 2009 at 10:53 pm
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Don't worry shamrock... the moment I saw the ribbon go up I was on the website with my thoughts. I guess those of us with "the bad cancers" don't matter as much since dead people can't vote.... I hope to make it to the next election!
- By bonn
- Posted November 7, 2009 at 8:25 am
- Report post
Way to go Cat and lifeisgrand....Totally agree
- By momanderson920
- Posted November 7, 2009 at 8:35 am
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I just think that many other cancers like ours are ignored because of all this attention to breast cancer. I am glad they have learned a way to get the message out there but I think that the business community is the one who has ignored other cancers and made a business out of it to the detriment of other cancers like ours. I do fault political types like the White House and other non business entities for favoring one over another.
- By momanderson920
- Posted November 7, 2009 at 8:37 am
- Report post
Even though we are smaller in number of cases annually I bet we beat them in deaths! I called my members of Congress and asked that they take into account for grant money mortality rate and not just numbers of cases. Don't know if it did any good...you are right, dead people don't vote! And very sick people often don't vote, too!
- By TvlBeach
- Posted November 7, 2009 at 11:16 am
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Yes, I love my Teal - but for political correctness he could have put up a Purple Ribbon for "All Survivors" which we all are! And made sure everyone knew that purple went for All Cancer Survivors!
- By Dot
- Posted November 7, 2009 at 11:20 am
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When Obama talks about his mother dying of cancer, why can't insert one additional word - ovarian?! I've heard him talk about her death, but I've never heard him say the word "ovarian." He could raise awareness simply by telling the world what kind of cancer his mother had. It's not a huge step, but it would be a step. As for the health care stuff, I'm not even going there. :-)
Joan
- By Jen457
- Posted November 7, 2009 at 11:35 am
- Report post
It is not Obama's fault that we have a health care crisis. The problem is not how much it will cost if we try to fix it but how much it will cost if we do nothing like we have been. I really do not care what color ribbon is put up at the White House. I do understand that most people recognize the pink ribbon. How many other cancer ribbons would most people recognize? I don't know about the rest of you but I just got the info on how much my insurance will increase next year--it will be in the thousands compared to this year with everything considered. Just think if it went up this much every year. That is why I believe we need health care reform.
- By sbender3
- Posted November 7, 2009 at 12:10 pm
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amen-he has been the pied piper from the beginning, one of the antichrists, as the bible says, my child there will be many in the end of times. if teh govenment gets involved with our healthcare, we would not be alive, because we are expendable, and cost too much money. medicaid takes care of those who do not have insurance, but people need to know how and where to go and get their help. they government and state agencies to do not spend alot of time and effort on communicating this, because they do not want to have to cover them on their roles!!!! when 80 to 85% of our country has health care, don't screw it up for them. fix the ones who don't. make insurance companies eliminate pre eit waiting periods. by the way, they are just that, waiting periods, if treated within the past 6 to 12 months for acondition, it is not covered for the next 12 months, unless you had prior credible coverage thru another carrier in that past 12 months prior to your new coverage, when that is the case, pre ex is not an issue. many peole want to get health insurance when they get sick, you cannot buy insurance for your house when it is on fire, and you cannot buy car insurance after you hit the wall. health insurance is no different. health costs could be reduced, if the pharaceutical industry could be brought under control. they should not be allowed to have a patent that gives them exclusivity on a drug for 14 to 16 years, and then, be able to file another patent when that one is about to expire, because they come up with another drug in the same family. it goes on and on. zantac had a patent for 15 years before generics could be available. that, my friends is all regulated by the fda, our lovely government. we have the best outcomes in the world for treatment of cancer , heart and serious medical issues. people of means come from all over the world to get treated here, because they do not have the healthcare we have. but in europe, a drug is not held up for 10 to 15 years in clinical trials, they get it out in like 5 years. in all other parts of the world, people do not live on fast food for the main course or staple of their diet. maybe the government should require all organic farming, less processed foods, etc. sorry to rant, but i am passionate about healthcare, when my life depends on it, and my coverage, which i have always paid ofr 100% myslef, because i am self employed, is what i want. i do not want the government telling me that my healthcare does not meet their criteria, and then penalize me 2.8% in taxes. i choose to have a 2700 ded, 100% after plan, to keep my costs down. i thought this was american, and we had freedom to choose, we had rights. i choose to live, my doc told me, if the government gets their way, we with ovraian cancer will not get treatment baased on their guidelines, they will not cover biotech drugs as avastin, as our lives are not going to be extended long enough to justify the cost, this is all true, read the bill. again, sorry. god bless. sherry
- By lifeisgrand
- Posted November 7, 2009 at 2:39 pm
- Report post
Here's an interesting video by an oncologist regarding the pink ribbon...
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/711810?src=rss
- By annebert
- Posted November 8, 2009 at 9:29 am
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Wow, this is great! Thank you. I just sent a thank you email to Dr. Marshall.
- By Milashka
- Posted November 8, 2009 at 9:51 am
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Honestly, I don't care about colored ribbons wherever they may hang...fact is, EVERYone knows how widespread - any cancer - is. It's rampant. What I want to see is a) everyone having equal access to quality treatments and b) a freaking cure! I mean, seriously, the concept of chemo is so outdated and obviously, it's just not working really well! Get with it research people and figure out a different approach!
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