Research funding from Pink Ribbons

Through a friend from an America forum I have read a blog page which really sums up so much of what those of us with metastatic breast cancer think and feel about the way that we are forgotten in the Pinkness of breast cancer, the fluffiness of breast cancer, the survivability of breast cancer. For those of us who have Stage IV cancer the only definition of being cured it that you die of something else! They are not trying to cure me, but providing palliative care to ease symptoms. Then they wonder why so many of us have depression and find the process of coming to terms with this diagnosis is so difficult because they give us no hope.


If you look at all the research that makes the headlines, and even those that doesn't but which some of us search out from medical newsletters and the web, it is all about prevention and stopping BC spreading. About 30% of those who are diagnosed with early stage BC will end up with mets, but BC is projected as being curable to the general public, and some young women think that is a way to get a free boob job! Ladies, think again. This disease KILLS.

The research into preventing mets is often focused on pharmaceutical medicines rather than using diet and nutrition and lifestyle as a way of preventing this. Cancer patients are just not told about this approach, unless they are really lucky to have an oncologist with an open mind. Many people with MBC only seem to want to use conventional medicine which is toxic to the whole body and not just the cancer. We all need to take some responsibility for ourselves. None of us intended to get cancer, but there are so many different things that cause it to happen that we have to do everything we can to help our body work against the cancer. There are many things we cannot alter, but there are many things that we can, we can stop storing food in plastic containers, stop eating processed junk (also known as convenience food) and go organic, give up dairy and red meat which are full of hormones and growth factors just as a starter. Then we have to do what we feel comfortable with. I take supplements, eat organic food whenever possible, gave up dairy and red meat, try to do weight bearing exercise to strengthen my bones and have given up wearing perfume and try to use personal care products without parabens etc.

‎'No one actually survives metastatic breast cancer' - You can live with it, and many of us are, but they tell us it can't be cured. Cancer Research UK once told me that they use 4% of their research budget on any form of metastatic cancer research. WHAT? They raise money based on people dying of cancer then ignore the type of cancer which causes 90% of those deaths. We are ignored by doctors until it is too late as we don't fit the profile (too young, etc.) then just tell me they will only give us palliative care and that this will be the cause of my death. If 90% of cancer deaths are caused my metastatic disease why do we get 4% of the research funding?

Read the blog at: http://networkedblogs.com/p7GAb