Cancer Touches Us All

While sitting here by the water on an overcast day last Sunday, I was giving some thought to my column for this week when I decided to do a little research about cancer. There are some weeks that I actually go to bed on a Sunday evening before my mind clears enough to produce a subject that I think is worthy enough to write about. That drives my publisher and editor crazy because it puts me right up against our deadline, but by now, I think they understand how my mind works.  They know that when I come across something worthy of writing, the flow just keeps pouring out.

During the last 30 days, our publisher, Val Simon, has challenged us to help raise breast cancer awareness, both locally and nationally. We’ve done so by highlighting some of the wonderfully heroic women who have been challenged by that horrific disease. Through life-saving advances in technology, their steadfast belief in themselves, as well as the help received from support groups, family and friends, these women have overcome a challenge that years ago may have seemed impossible.

One of the major factors leading to a positive outcome is early detection, accomplished through self-examination and regular mammograms. Although there has been some debate in the medical community about when and how often, it is recommended that women discuss their individual best course of early detection with their healthcare professional.

Another factor believed to promote to a positive income, is a healthy diet. Once again, there is some debate about the effect of diet on the development of breast cancer. However, since estrogen receptors are aligned with 70-80% of positive breast cancers, it may be a prudent course of action to avoid certain foods that increase estrogen levels. Women should discuss this issue with their primary care physician and/or oncologist. A consult with a registered dietitian/nutritionist would be beneficial as well.

Yes, our subject of breast cancer and the personal stories really did hit home for me, as my aunt (my dad’s sister) was a victim of this disease. It was in 1968, only a year after my dad had lost his battle with cancer, that we heard the devastating news that my aunt had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, she survived, but only after a long, painful and rigorous series of procedures.

As I sat quietly on this Sunday, I recalled that this would have been my dad’s 100th birthday. He passed away on November 20, 1966, after a nine-month battle with a disease that left him paralyzed from the waist down following surgery to remove the cancer that had metastasized from his lungs to his spinal cord.

At 45 years of age, my dad was one of the bravest men I’ve ever known. Never once did he wallow in self-pity or let the physical setbacks become an excuse for why he wasn’t willing to forge on. He learned to pivot out of his hospital bed and into his wheelchair. He always was ready to take on the world, move forward and not look back. I see that same strength and courage in the eyes of the brave women whom we’ve had the privilege to highlight in Coastal Breeze News over the last month.

Much has been accomplished in the way of medical research, modern techniques and breakthroughs in treatment since my dad left us, and since my aunt and my mom (in 1989) also struggled with the same dreaded disease. Then came the terrible news that my younger brother had fallen victim to pancreatic cancer. He passed away in July of 2020. 

We owe a great deal to the men and women who have dedicated their lives to providing additional knowledge and tools to fight cancer, gained through their years of research and discoveries. These life-saving advances would not have been possible without the great work of the American Cancer Society and the volunteers who help fundraise so that this research may continue. Since 1946, over $5 Billion has been raised to fund cancer research through their efforts.

In 2020, there were an estimated 19.3 million newly-diagnosed cancer cases in the world (18.1 million excluding nonmelanoma skin cases) and almost 10 million deaths from cancer (9.9 million excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer). Female breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer, with an estimated 2.3 million deaths.

The battle is never-ending, and the need has never been greater than it is today. Education and early detection have helped to increase survivorship, but as every day passes, more is needed.

Marco Islanders can be proud of their support of the American Cancer Society, leading the state in fundraising over the last three years. Marco Island’s American Cancer Society is preparing for another banner year raising monies for such a worthwhile cause. 

I would dare guess that cancer has in some way affected the lives of a vast majority of the families and friends in our community. We owe it to ourselves and to those who have been touched by cancer to rise up and do what we can to help eradicate this terrible disease, through “time, talent or treasure.” If we make these efforts during our lives, we can help ensure that we will leave this place a little better than how we found it.