It’s Time For a War on Disease
By Clay Merrifield on November 7, 2009
EL PASO — I’ve always loved sports, but something unexpected happened to me when I went to the UTEP women’s soccer game a couple of weeks ago. That game opened my eyes to health problems that specifically affect women.
The women players were bringing Breast Cancer Awareness month to their fans and at halftime the field recognized breast cancer survivors in the audience.
For the first time, the reality of cancer really hit home and I remembered the aunt lost to pancreatic cancer and the uncle who died of intestinal cancer almost at the same time two years ago.
They were my mother’s brother and sister. Mom is the youngest of seven and five are now gone. My grandmother died when my mother was about five years old. Her sister, the same sister who died from pancreatic cancer, basically raised her.
My mother has a tradition every time it’s her birthday to clean her belly button with Clinique alcohol as a remembrance of her mother. I know how she feels knowing that her sister is gone and everyone tries to help, but we don’t want to see her sad, so we don’t talk about it. I’m proud for her because she was a real pro during the funerals of her siblings. My cousins were also extremely positive and professional. I broke down because they were so composed during their mother’s funeral.
I wanted answers to why my aunt and uncle got so sick. They were in their early 70s and they both lived in Anderson, Indiana, which is an industry town. General Motors used to produce there, but it shut down around 1985.
There still is a lot of industry in Anderson and I think the pollution may have been a factor. Who knows? I want to call Erin Brockovich and have her examine Anderson, Indiana and the pollution. I think there are some environmental abuses going on there that harm the residents.
The world needs to come together and fight disease to the fullest extent. We need stem cell research. Too many people have perished and too many families suffer from disease. Doesn’t “The War on Disease” sound much better than “The War on Terror?”
It’s time to try new medical technologies. Radiation is too old and dangerous. People who suffer form spinal injuries need to function again; people with Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and Parkinson’s shouldn’t have to suffer either.
I know eventually stem cells will be used, but we need to get a move on. We need to take care of the baby boom generation and those before them as soon as possible. They deserve it. I understand the Obama administration is working hard to provide national health care and that’s a good start.
But isn’t amazing that the countries that had to rebuild after World War II understood that universal health care was a top priority? Today countries such as France and Germany have the best health care in the world and the healthiest people.
And the U.S., the richest most powerful country on earth is still struggling to provide affordable basic health care to its citizens.
