I have two birthdays I wish I could celebrate. My heart is heavy every June 24th and October 13th, the days are my mom's and my dad's birthday. I would give anything to spend just one more birthday with them.
My father died in 1992. Dad had lung cancer. I'm still not sure which was worse---the treatment to "cure" the disease or the cancer. I watched my father go from a healthy robust man to an old man who had to wear clothes from the boy's department. 1992 was a long time ago, in terms of treating cancer but I still believe there is much that can be done so that the disease can be cured----without killing the patient. My father died of pneumonia, and complications from being so weak after this chemo. In the end, it was the cure that killed him, not the cancer.
My mom died in 2000, after a battle with breast cancer. After watching my dad suffer, she decided quality of life was more important than curing the cancer at any cost. My lived for two years, which was about two years longer than the doctors gave her after finding the cancer.
The American Cancer Society is a tremendous organization that has done so much for cancer patients and their families. Even in this economy, our family gives to ACS, even if we don't do any other donations. In a world where so many charities and non-profits take more than they give, the American Cancer Society has a stellar reputation for going above and beyond the call of duty to help those afflicted by the awful disease that is cancer.
If you are still celebrating birthdays with your parents, take a minute and go to the American Cancer Society's birthday page. The ACS is the official sponsor of birthdays, because more birthdays mean less cancer.
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