Cancer And Scientology: The Silent Killer
A Glosslip guest post:
Cancer and Scientology
Hi. I’m felinonymous. And I am a breast cancer survivor.
On Mother’s Day where I am- and possibly where you are too, the Susan G. Komen for a Cure ran, walked, and even slept in for a cure. A cure for breast cancer.
Today, we know that early detection is a key element to survival. We know that intervention at Stages 1 and 2 are better than fighting from behind the eight-ball at stages 3 and 4. We have reached a place where it is quite alright to proudly stand up and say, “I am a survivorâ€. It hasn’t always been that way.
Once upon a time, a person with breast cancer had to deal with a certain stigma. And it certainly wasn’t talked about. There were no fund raisers to try to encourage or even jump start education and research. It was hidden firmly in the bra drawer so that no one could see.
That changed.
Today, I can cite all of the statistics and tell men (yes, men get it too) and women what they need to do to educate themselves. I can tell you how many people will be diagnosed (within a statistical probability) and how many will die. I can tell you about the joys of chemo and how to get through it. I can arm you to survive. But there is something I can’t do. I can’t make you do a self exam. I can’t make you have a yearly mammogram if you are over 40 or have a history of cancer in your family. And I can’t insist that you choose mastectomy, chemo and possibly radiation. Sometimes, often even, I wish I could.
A friend of mine made a choice to die of breast cancer because she didn’t want to lose her breasts. That was very painful to her friends because we SO wanted her to continue to brighten our lives. But she was diagnosed late in the disease and her oncologist couldn’t even give her 50/50 odds if she opted for aggressive treatment. So she chose to let it go. It was a hard choice. She had a teenaged son at the time and was really committed to surviving until he was a man. She made it that far.
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