Breast Cancer hits close to home

[Singing Land Cruiser]

Our thoughts and prayers to you and yours. M&C

[luvrbus]

Jim, as a father of 4 daughters my heart bleeds for you,Kelly and the family have a tough road ahead lean on each other and draw courage from each other.
I never know what to say when it comes to things like this but this post is just to painful for me to read even after 16 years has passed so I won't be back some day I'll explain to you but hoping for the very best outcome for your family  
 


God Bless

[uncle ned]

Jim  my family 's prayers are with you.

Been there with my baby daughter. She is now five years cancer free.

One year of chemo. and radiation treatments.

Some of the worst years of my life. but some of the best also, when thing get better. I think we got a lot closer because of it. When you think you might lose something you know what you have.

uncle ned

[JohnEd]

My prayers are with your family. Sounds like they got it in time. My grandma had it about 15 years ago and she has been cancer free since then and she will be 95 this month.
I would just urge you to continue to ask the Lord to keep your faith stong thru this and not fall into that pink ribbon foolishness. I know I may get flamed for that but I don't think wearing ribbons ever solved any problem. It also makes one wonder as you drive along the interstate and see all of these medical research buildings as to what they do in there all day. Simple, they sit around and think of ways to raise money to build more of those buildings. I love how they say they are this close to finding a cure for some such disease but we need more money. I've heard that forever and nothing changes.

Ain't that the truth!  And deservedly.

[Mike in GA]

Jim:
Best of luck to your daughter. I have one the same age, in similar good health otherwise. This would drive me and most fathers right up to the edge.
I worked for 40 years for the American Cancer Society. We are conservative in our issuance of guidelines. We still call for screening mammograms for asymptomatic women aged 40 and up. There are some medical economists out there that say since most breast cancers are found in older women that starting at age 40 is a waste. However, we all know that if our daughter, wife, sister catches an early breast cancer in their 40s and their lives are saved, who cares about the larger demographics and economics?
Here's a link to ACS guidelines for mammography, similar to those of the NCI to which Jim refers:
http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/UnderstandingYourDiagnosis/ExamsandTestDescriptions/MammogramsandOtherBreastImagingProcedures/mammograms-and-other-breast-imaging-procedures-screening-mammogram
Once again, Jim, our thoughts and prayers are with you, your daughter and the whole familey.
Mike in GA

[John316]

Jim,

Thank you for letting us know. That is so sad! I will be praying for her. Nobody, in our family, has had to go through something like that, so I don't even know what to say....

However, I will be praying.

God bless,

John

[rv_safetyman]

Folks, I did not post this thread in an effort to generate all of these amazing responses.  

My goal was to reinforce that the ladies need to do everything in their power to fight against this terrible disease.  I received an amazing email from a Eagle International member who developed breast cancer at ****25 years of age****.  

As Molly, Kelly's youngest daughter, said:  "Dad your eyes have sprung a leak".  Well folks, Pat and I have had a lot of leaks in the past few days and when we read your comments, the leak really got worse.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS!!!

Now ladies, wives, daughters:  Call and make that appointment!!!

Jim

[moneygreen]

From a father with three daughters. Our thoughts and prayers go out to our good friends.

Bob and Karen

[JohnEd]

I was just being pragmatic so I can take being blasted. If you want to wear a ribbon and give money to the cancer society go ahead. I just wonder how much of the money goes toward actual research that's all.

That isn't a bad question.  It is a bad question to leave out there hanging as tho the answer will be bad or that there is no answer.  For example..."I just wonder what the heXX you are trying to do by asking that question?  See how that works?  It is an accusatory question.  Implies that you are trying to do something with identifying what that might be and implying that it is subversive.  That's negative behavior.

I have friends that wouldn't donate a dime to charity despite their being staunch Christians.  That aspect of their role in society isn't why we are friends and is contradicted in their personal relations.  And they maintain that their views are compatible with their religion in disregard of charity being an obligation.  Lot of talk about prayer here and that is more than just appropriate.

I was the Campaign Chairman(effectively) for the Combined Federal Campaign at our command. That was a couple hundred man hours and flak so my money is where my mouth is.  If you want to know how much of every dollar you contribute goes to fund raising and what the total spent for that might be it is public information.  Law says you have to publish that data.  Go to the CFC web site to start your search.  Don't just sit there and announce that monies are paid to professional fund raisers as though that were a well kept secret and a disgrace.  That is simple minded.  How would you know about the Shriner's hospital or the American Cancer Society if some entity wasn't advertising and marketing their existence?  Some of these places have an overhead of over 90% and that certainly should be addressed but they are so few that to bring them up in a conversation of the merits of charity is deceitful and creats the wrong impression.  You might be interested to learn what family of charities those big spenders fall into.

"Pragmatic" is defined as "relating to matters of practical affairs at the exclusion of intellectual.....".  I read that as "without any deep thinking or intelligent investigation".  I am often operating in a pragmatic mode but to say that I am a pragmatic person would be self depreciating.

It isn't that you don't participate, its that you advocate not doing so.  Both are your prerogative but you invite the question of "why".  How do we, as a society, benefit from following your example.  How is there anything positive coming from you practice? I am not picking on you but I want to understand your actions so long as you brought them up and I want to understand your seeming dismissal of the charity of others.  Not flaming or slamming.  Just why?

John

[ktmossman]

I must second the sentiment of this thread.  In June, I had the sad task of arranging hospice care for and then the funeral of my oldest sister at age 46.  She left behind two grown boys, a 7-year-old daughter, and her first grandbaby (who she got to see twice before she died.)  She was diagnosed with breast cancer 5 years prior and did the initial treatment (chemo/surgery) but then did not maintain her follow-up care.  When it returned, she got tied up with a prosperity/health religious group who convinced her God had healed her so she did not need to seek treatment.  She ignored numerous symptoms over the course of a year (because she didn't want to show a "lack of faith") until the tumors in her brain were impairing her motor skills, but by then it was too late.  Her "church" cut her off because she was dying and her church member "friend" kicked her out of their shared apartment.  I had to find an apartment for her and my parents came and we took care of her for the last six weeks of her life.  I would not wish that on my worst enemy...

PLEASE, ladies, get checked and FOLLOW-UP...

[CrabbyMilton]

No problem and a good valid question. Even if you were flaming me, I would be fine with it too as I have been accused of being narrow minded before. Like I stated. I am praying for this fellows daughter and I hope she lives another 42 or more years. I'm 46 so I would not be exempt from illness either. I just have a belief in charity beginning at home and then my church(WELS) but no further. You are correct that such charities must disclose where the money is going in a particular purpose. But that doesn't mean that they may be (with the best heart) just reinventing the wheel in actual research. I don't want the ribbon people to make me or anyone else to be made to feel guilty other wise why wear the ribbon? The MARCH OF DIMES sends me mail with dimes enclosed. If they really need the money, then why are they sending me money? Like I said, you are free to give your money and/or time to whomever you want and I would fight for your right to do so.

[luvrbus]

Here we go the very thing Jim asked not to happen

[JackConrad]

Since this thread is going exactly where Jim requested it not to go, it is now locked and may be moved pending review of the moderators. Jack