Heart Talk

A Time to Step Up

Last October, which was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wrote a column about how cancer slowly and painfully took my wife’s life. October has come around again and my thoughts turn not just to breast cancer, but to cancer itself.

Wordsworth wrote, “The World Is Too Much With Us.” I am nearly overwhelmed by how cancer is too much with us. Since I wrote that column last year, one friend of 35 years had to battle kidney cancer, another dear friend has dealt with breast cancer. Two other friends have had double mastectomies. Many of you, no doubt, can relate.

In this time of bitter partisanship in Washington, how many of us remember what President Obama said in his last State of the Union address on this subject? He called for a type of “moon shot” to put America on the path to cure cancer. He said America can and should lead the way. He put Joe Biden, who lost his son Beau to cancer, in charge of mission control. The president did not mention that his own mother died of ovarian cancer at the young age of 52.

Those of us old enough can recall President Nixon in 1971 calling for a war on cancer. Although lives have been saved by better diet, less smoking, and screening for breast and colon cancer, victory remains elusive.

A recent article in Scientific American says that a cure is a long way off. Experts believe cures will be difficult. Many question if it will even be possible for some types of cancers. It is more realistic to think in terms of the length of remissions, which are increasing, rather than cures.

There are, however, signs of hope. In a rare display of bipartisanship, Congress came through with more money for the National Institute of Health. This has helped them continue their research on tumor genetics and get closer to breakthroughs in immunotherapy.

One of the world’s leading immunologists, James Allison of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, uses a Texas phrase to express his optimism in the battle with cancer. “We finally have purchase on it.”

So, the scientists are fully engaged and some extra funding has been provided. President Obama has laid down the challenge and the noble Joe Biden is overseeing the effort. It is a start and a good one. But what can you and I non-microscope toting citizens do to further this effort?

The most obvious answer is to reach for our wallets. “But money is tight,” you say. Isn’t it funny the things Americans spend money on? The average worker spends over $1,000 on coffee a year. Hey, brew your own. Then there are gym memberships. Only 18% of gym memberships are fully used. And, oh my, the average wedding in this country costs over $25,000. What ever happened to simple ceremonies on the beach? Couldn’t we find a few more dollars to give to organizations like the American Cancer Society or Breast Cancer Research Foundation? The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced it will give $3 billion over the next decade toward curing and managing diseases. Much of this, no doubt, will go to fighting cancer. Okay, we are not billionaires, but we can be inspired by actions like this to find a few more shekels to contribute to this fight? Starbuck’s will survive.

For the holiday season, I will ask family and friends to forego gifts and make a donation to a cancer fighting organization. We can also volunteer our time by providing transportation to treatment centers for those who have no way to get there. We can do more to combat the second leading cause of death in this country. To paraphrase someone I hear on occasion, “That would make America even greater than it is.”

For those of you like me, who have had a loved one decimated by this disease, you need no convincing. I am asking those who have not yet been touched by cancer to lend a hand. Cancer is out there. It is lurking, waiting to bring pain and heartbreak. Let us say, “No further.”