A Challenge

I'm going to step onto a soap box - just for a moment. And before you stop reading, no this IS NOT about politics. Although I could go on about that too if I thought adding my opinions to the sticky politics gumbo would help anything. But, that's not what I'm here for, at least this time around :-)

I want to issue a challenge of sorts.

It is unavoidable that a person's perspective on the world will change when something as disruptive and painful as cancer enters into it. An unfortunate side effect of living in today's world, is that pretty much everyone knows someone affected by/diagnosed with cancer. And while cancer is by no means something that should be dealt with lightly, in many ways, it has become that way in our society. Because many of the cancers that are most common are curable, people have come to take that for granted. In addition, these cancers that are most common look, generally, the same - meaning, there's a tumor somewhere in your body, and they will perform some combination of surgery, plus chemotherapy and radiation to remove it and cure you.

Unfortunately, all cancers are not created equal - and this point has been driven home, literally, by the fact that my mom is fighting a cancer that does not fit society's mold, in multiple ways. As a family, we knew this when she got the diagnosis, but it became much more apparent to me as we began the process of trying to explain it to those around us. People listen, but when they hear the word cancer, they automatically assume they know what's involved and what it looks like. People jump to the conclusion that while this is cancer and it's no laughing matter, it'll just take a few rounds of chemo to clear it up and we'll be back to normal. I was no different before my mom's diagnosis, I did the same thing, jumped to the same conclusions.

I also began to take more notice of the events happening around me, the Races for Cures, the fundraisers and auctions...and please please PLEASE understand me, I am not saying that these are unworthy causes, because they are worthy...BUT...it seems to me that as a society we've gotten stuck in a rut.

For example: I see a sign in someone's yard for a Susan G. Comen Race for the Cure and (politics aside) I realize, "Well that's a redundant name, there IS a cure for breast cancer." Again, please understand, I am NOT trying to trivialize or minimize people diagnosed with breast cancer, it's just a good example. Thousands and thousands of women yearly are diagnosed with breast cancer, and it's a terrible, heartbreaking thing. BUT, there is a cure for breast cancer. I am so thankful that there are men and women who have been blessed with the knowledge and skill to develop a cure. And yet how much money is still being poured into these foundations and into research for it, when there are SO many other diseases, not just cancers, that still need cures? AIDs, Alzheimer's, Leukemia...the list goes on. There are foundations, scientists, and doctors who are working to develop cures for these diseases, yet have been unsuccessful for a myriad of reasons. Recognition is one of those main reasons. Society has latched onto a couple diseases and taken up the standard for them, raising awareness and money. But once a cure has been found, shouldn't they move on and take up the flag for the next disease? How much progress could be made in curing the next big disease if more people were reminded or made aware of the fact that there is no cure.

So, this is my challenge to you (at least, the five of you who read my little blog): take some time, and initiative, and do a little research on a disease that maybe you think you know about, but actually may not. A disease that needs a cure. Awareness is KEY in fighting these diseases, and the more people know, the closer we are to a cure. And maybe the next time you give money, or donate to a cause, you'll think about one of those diseases that's fighting on the fringe of society, and you'll realize how much your money or time or whatever it is, could mean.

If you're curious, I can give you a place to start, with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

I truly do not mean to offend with this post. I'm not trying to start a fight, unless it's a fight to raise more awareness. *steps off of soapbox*