For the past few months, it appears that the fund raising for breast cancer research has taken a uniquely fashionable turn. I have heard the slogan, "Save the TaTas." We have all seen the pink glove video from the Portland hospital.
This is great stuff and I hope a cure is in the near future. The sad part about funding for cancer research is that it is a zero sum game. There is a limited pool of funding. Research into a cure for the particularly nasty cancer which has attacked my wife and many others gets little or no funding.
No one has, as yet, attempted to make carcinoid cancer glamorous or interesting. The disease carries with it symptoms that are very unpleasant, to say the least. It is also an expensive disease. Chemotherapy won't stop it in most cases, nor will radiation. The only option is palative care which costs tens of thousands each month. My wife has pointed out that she sees a new group of patients at the oncology clinic every few months. They either respond to treatment and get better or they do not and are gone.
Can we do better? Certainly. More people should call for a cure to this dreaded disease. Will you be one of them?
