cancer treatment

Arnold Palmer, the golfer, was a huge donor to the Cancer Society and a
tireless activist on its behalf for decades. Then his wife died of breast
cancer, and he turned somewhat viciously against the cancer treatment
industry, saying it was self-perpetuating and deliberately intended to
_prevent_ a cure for cancer so that it could continue to exist.

Palmer was marginalized as a grieving man, because even the most normal of
normos can be marginalized with those with trillion-dollar vested interests
to protect. But I take his epiphany extremely seriously, especially now that
a friend of mine is waiting for test results to find out whether he has
cancer of the spine.

Although waiting for test results is hell enough, the real hell starts once
the diagnosis is confirmed. Both chemo and radiation make you feel worse
than just letting the cancer take its course and receiving palliative care.
If there is a chance you can survive, then you have to make an informed
decision. If there's no chance, there's no decision to make: You refuse
treatment. But no doctor will be honest with you about how much of a chance
there is because the cancer treatment industry only makes money if you
receive treatment.

I know for a fact of one elderly lady who sued a hospital after she says she
was told: "You have to have radiation." She claims the doctors didn't even
offer her a choice--they saw a weak-willed old woman whom they could make an
easy buck off of. This was a case I typed back in my days in the court
reporting industry. It went to depositions but, because the hospital paid
out a settlement, it never went to trial so the deposition transcripts are
sealed from public view.

I have it easier than most. If I found out that I had cancer I would
automatically refuse treatment because finding out that I'm going to die
would make me delirious with joy, especially if I had a time frame of death.
My struggles would finally be over and I could, through the haze of pain,
finally enjoy some happiness. But no doubt I'd be sectioned and forced to
undergo chemo or radiation against my will. Oh, the joys of being a mental
patient, especially one whose existence threatens a trillion-dollar
industry!

Miki