Cancer

I hate it, every kind; breast, colon, multiple myeloma, cervical, and the unusual ones you never heard of until someone you cared about was diagnosed with it.

My maternal grandparents died of "stomach cancer" in the 1940's.  Research has continued since then and, frankly, without a lot of success.  

Every year, sometimes every month, and especially this year, I hear of another friend, colleague or loved one who is "battling" cancer.  One must battle to get a proper diagnosis, and battle to find the "right" doctors, hospitals, treatments and prognoses.

There are rare and occasional steps forward in all that research.  As of often as not the really big steps come from outside the "cancer community" and often from outside of medicine altogether.

Today millions of people in the US participated in a "fun" run to aid cancer research, they bought t-shirts with their organization's name, probably new running shoes and paid for the participation.

None of them asked where the money they give, the free advertising they provide to the cause, the results of any research, actually go.

Sadly, and I guess it matters little to most, about twenty cents of every dollar collected goes to cancer research, actually breast cancer research.  That twenty cents is funneled into big pharmaceutical companies "research" that is not famous for any major breakthroughs.  If you look into effective and efficient non-profit organizations, who must all report their expenditures to remain "tax free" you will find few who pay more in salaries to the people at the top.  The top two at the Komen foundation each receives over $500,000.00 per year.  One of those two is actually the namesake's sister.

I am sure she loved her sister very much and found breast cancer to be a horrible horrible disease. 

Cancer is a horrible disease.  I have attended two cancer-related memorial services within the past two weeks.  It is horrible.

But is that a great use of a million dollars a year to fight a horrible disease?  Apparently a lot of people think so.  There is enormous participation by medical establishments, pharmaceutical companies and other interested parties.

I'm just saying, couldn't all that money be better directed to actually wiping out some kind of cancer.  

Or do too many people benefit by it continuing to murder our family and friends?