Thursday, March 21, 2013

Stupid cancer

Photo by Robert Nacke


Received some bad news yesterday about someone we know who has cancer. As hard as she's fighting this, it keeps swinging at her and trying to knock her down. This time it's spots on her liver. Not good. Pray as we might, there's no guaranteeing any of the treatments will work to eradicate this cancer from her body. It's just not the way it works sometimes.

I've often wondered what I would do if I found out I had a life-threatening cancer. Would I go the traditional route of chemo and/or radiation? Would I just ignore it and live life to the fullest as long as I could? Would I opt for some of the natural cures? I'd like to think I'd try the breast milk treatment, provided there was someone close to me who could supply me with the 17 or 18 necessary ounces per day. But I hate milk, so that would be a tough one. I honestly don't know what I'd do. But I do know that I would examine all of my options before making a decision. And I'd probably be up for some clinical trials. After all, I have a serious mistrust of the pharmaceutical companies and the way they seem to have an unnatural connection to many doctors... the whole "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" mentality, you know? Maybe I'm just being a bit too cynical. But when a doctor prescribes a medication for me, I can't help wondering what he has to gain when, and if, I get the prescription filled.

There are various sites where you can find clinical trials and alternative treatments. One site is cureLauncher. The site has access to over 8,600 clinical trial locations across the U.S. and they'll help you find the one that's right for you. They've been featured on various programs and associated with different sites, including stupidcancer.org, which has the tagline: i'm too young for that foundation. There's something about the website name and tagline that draws you in, don't you agree?

Because of all the medical mumbo jumbo, clinical trials are the best way for people to gain access to the latest treatments when they're facing life-threatening conditions, such as cancer and heart disease. These clinical trials could save their lives! The bottom line is that people who are quite possibly dying, need cutting edge treatments. Treatments they will only find by participating in clinical trials... Since these trials are not always easy to find, sites like cureLauncher are a lifeline. When a company is clearly patient-focused, like cureLauncher is, you can trust they are on your side. In the case of finding the right clinical trial, it's all about having the right connections.

Anyway, I just wanted to throw that out to you. I'm thinking about my friend and wondering what I'd do if I were in her shoes... or her body. I'm just not sure. But I'd probably start by checking out some clinical trials and go from there. What about you? If the doctor spoke the C word to you, what would you do?




This is a sponsored post

No comments:

Post a Comment

Search This Blog