wearing pink

I have lost several relatives to cancer. A couple years ago I lost a grandma, 2 aunts and an uncle. Cancer is such a terrible tragedy for a family whether you survive it or not. The expense, the treatment, the fear, the time involved is just horrendous.

By accident I found a blog written by young woman who was just diagnosed with breast cancer. I followed her story and was completely drawn in by her emotional struggles just as if it was my sister going through this terrible war. She completed her treatment and (knocking on wood) is a survivor. I consider her my very good online friend these days, but I'm not as active in her life other than to check in on her now and then and to offer up prayers for her and her family when life's speedbumps surface and watch her in her joy for life.

Our cancer, "Race for a Cure" is coming up soon. They offer a lot a really great support groups and activities for survivors. They offer these wonder memory topiary bags that you can write your friend or relatives names on and then a candle is placed inside for the twilight walk. The entire weekend is full of love and support and, of course, raising dollars for a cure. Everyone is fundraising for a cure. Paint anything pink and put a ribbon on it and people will buy it hoping for a cure. We have walk-a-thons and fund raisers all across the country raising billions of dollars for a cure.

A CURE, not money for more fundraisers. My problem with all this is an article I read last year.

"It seems that there is some conflict between the research being done and conflicts of interests with the pharmaceutical industry, the pesticide industry, and the mammography industry which indicates that all is not well with the spending of the funds. These billions of dollars is mainly spent on educating the public on the merits of the three most popular conventional cancer therapies which includes surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy rather than being spent on actual research."

Did you get that? Very few moneys are actually being spent finding a cure. In fact when there have been possibilities that have been found nothing further was done. Instead the dollars were spent of researching cancer drugs that will create profits for drug companies. Even the Susan G Korman foundation is in bed with drug companies and anti-pro health communities.

"The founder of this foundation (Susan G Kormen), Nancy Brinker, even served on the board of directors of a company called Caremark Rx -- a firm that was selected by the Bush Administration to help run (and profit from) the Medicare discount drug program. The ties to the Bush Administration run deep, where Brinker has donated $256,000 to Bush and other Republicans. Her foundation also owns stock in several pharmaceutical companies. Part of the foundation's involvement in pharmaceutical companies includes accepting money from AstraZeneca, the makers of tamoxifen (a drug linked to uterine cancer) and major players in the Race For the Cure events. Brinker also reportedly owns half a million dollars in stock in a cancer treatment company called US Oncology."

A few numbers I have found and what is spent on actual programs vs else

• National Cancer Center-.29 per dollar
• Childhood Leukemia Foundation- .13 per dollar
• Wishing Well Foundation- .10 per dollar

Even the American Institute for Cancer Research has a poor rating. We do need cancer research. We need a cure. We don't need people profiting from our loved one's misery and our country's need to feel like we're doing something about it. I will 'Race for a Cure' next week. I will wear my loved one's pics on my shirt. I will hope and pray that my children will never suffer from Cancer. But I won't believe in a cure until we have researchers who work without profit in mind. I won't believe in a cure until drug companies are separated from our politicians. I won't believe in a cure until it's no longer acceptable to profit off a disease. I hope I'm around to see the day when there is a real cure for cancer. I hope I'm around for that...