Really Really Sad

[Sean]

I found out today that my friend who I haven't talked to in years had died a few years ago from cancer. I was shocked and really sadden by the news. When you were young, you hardly ever hear the word cancer. When you are older, quite a few people you know around you has it and you hear it all the time. We can build bombs that can destroy an entire city and its borders, why can't we find a cure for cancer?

Anyways, my friend's name is Martin Menze from Germany and he helped me put together the second cd compilation from my old label. One of the biggest New Wavers around and a great human being. He's was my age, late 30's, and I'm sure many of you in here are around this age too. If you haven't checked in on your friends and family lately, please do. I really wish I could have said goodbye to Martin.

[phillyidol]

wow that really sucks sean. My heart goes out to you. Its always tough to lose a friend. And I agree about the cure thing. It does not make sense to me. Why no cure?

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[Sean]

Thanks Philly.

[reillygirl]

Sean, I am sorry for your loss. You are right about when we were kids never hearing about cancer, now most kids are dealing with a grandparent or a parent that has it. Maybe in our lifetime they will come up with a cure.

[plagiarism]

My condolences, Sean.

When I was a child, it seemed that cancer was a death sentence. So I think that adults tried not to speak of cancer in the presence of children. Cancer survival rates are much better now, due to better technology and drugs, as well as overall awareness of the symptons. But that bit of good news doesn't help those who die.

[KYYX4ever]

My condolences too, Sean. You're right; that is a good point.

[ben_at_work]

Damn Sean, sorry to hear that. Sounds like you will have a lot of great memories to remember him by. It seems within the last few years I've been sort of dwelling on my mortality and all that gloomy stuff. I have to quickly snap myself out of it.

I found out an old school mate just died of a heart attack. Damn, we're to young for that.

Sean, I bet your friend would probably want his getting cancer to be a sign to all his loved ones to be more healthy and cancer aware. Sorry again Sean, remember the good times [;)][:D]

This thread makes me wonder what ever happened to Frayo [:(]

[glokstadt]

Such a situation just took place before I got ill. One of my good college buddies died of congestive heart failure on the 22nd of March, and I attended his wake and funeral on the 29th. I still can't believe I'll never talk to him again, I just last saw him in November in Long Beach, CA.

Ben Ferrer, a very talented artist, worked at Hallmark, did loads of cool Disney designs, played chess with a passion, 3 games at once, and win all 3! I never beat him. So after this Easter season you've spent with your family/friends and relatives, call in on your other friends, and those you've been thinking about from the past, like Sean says, before it's too late.

Doing a lot of thinking while laying here in my hospital bed. _Glok


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[marie3]

I am so sorry to hear about your friend Sean. [:(]

I lost two very close friends to cancer. Lost my sister in law to cancer 18 years ago.

My husband thinks they have a cure, but there is too much money to be made from cancer, so they keep it hidden. I don't know.

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by marie3[/i]
<br>My husband thinks they have a cure, but there is too much money to be made from cancer, so they keep it hidden. I don't know.
[/quote]
That comment is outrageous if not stupid. Doctors and researchers have loved ones dying too. I've never met one who isn't completely and passionate sincere about a cure. This line of work is too much of a bitch to be in it for the money. In fact, if you want to be coldly analytical about it, there isn't that much money in cancer as there is heart disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, etc. Pharmaceuticals don't make a fraction on cancer as they do on these and other chronic "consumer" ailments. Cancer is an amazingly complex condition that's not even really a single disease at all. Every form and even multiple subtypes of the same type of cancer has numerous permutations. Biology is probably more complicated than the universe. Man still isn't even close to understanding its intricacies.

[marie3]

Take it easy Blir.
I am sure my hubby's belief stems from being a 24 year old watching his sister die in front of him, and being helpless to do anything. I am not going to get into the whole story, but my sister in laws insurance ran out after having the disease for 10 years. She was forced to divorce her husband to be eligible for other methods of federal and state medical coverage, so she could continue any and all treatments to keep her alive. I guess when money is the thing that keeps a mother with young children from getting the medical treatment he or she needs, your mind starts to wander....And this was 18 years ago.

I actually have had the same argument with him stating the fact that cancer hits everyone, the rich, poor, famous, ect. It would be crazy for anyone to hide a true cure. Though that is not my belief, it is his.

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by marie3[/i]
<br>Take it easy Blir.[/quote]
I know, you're right, I need to chill from time to time. Sorry. Bad news - you're always going to get unfilter Blir. Good news (maybe) - you're always going to get unfiltered Blir.

But I just get incensed at some of these conspiracy theories. Okay, somebody's making money off these poor people, but it ain't the ones looking for a cure. I have a feeling most of it's just lost to the grabbing hands of the healthcare bureaucracy. But even then, the costs pale in comparison to the treatment of everyday chronic ailments. Plus, put it in the perspective of truly heinous wastes of money - something like a test-firing of an air-to-air missle. There goes the same one million dollars that so easily drains a person's life insurance. It's crazy.

And I don't think I'm being wreckless with my insensitivity. My mom has recovered from breast cancer and just gone off her 5-year treatment of Tamoxefin - the main indicator that someone's in full remission. Pift...there went her comfortable retirement. My father died from leukemia. It's one of the reasons I'm in this business. Something is broke, but there's no conspiracy. It's just a horrible disease.

[KYYX4ever]

[quote][i]Originally posted by marie3[/i]
<br>
My husband thinks they have a cure, but there is too much money to be made from cancer, so they keep it hidden.
[/quote]

My pop used to say this all the time when I was growing up. I don't necessarily agree. But on the financial aspect of it, Blir, would there not be "lots of money to be made from cancer" ? All the scientists, researchers, pharmaceuticals, etc. ? I'm just asking out of curiosity....what is it about this terrible disease that would not be as much money as there is in heart disease, diabetes, etc.? I would trhink that with this disease's complexity and intricacy, the pharmaceuticals alone would be a goldmine. Or is this completely wrong?[?]

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by KYYX4ever[/i]
<br>My pop used to say this all the time when I was growing up. I don't necessarily agree. But on the financial aspect of it, Blir, would there not be "lots of money to be made from cancer" ? All the scientists, researchers, pharmaceuticals, etc. ? I'm just asking out of curiosity....what is it about this terrible disease that would not be as much money as there is in heart disease, diabetes, etc.? I would trhink that with this disease's complexity and intricacy, the pharmaceuticals alone would be a goldmine. Or is this completely wrong?[?]
[/quote]
"Lots" is relative. About a million people a year get cancer and many die from it in the first five years. Now I'm gonna sound really cold, but it's not a great business model to have your "best customers" dying off. Millions more are afflicted with chronic ailments and continue to be so for long periods of time. It's like selling a $1,000,000 piece of custom software to a few people - sure, you're gonna make money AND it's gonna cost somebody a heinous amount of money, but the real money is selling the $100 software to millions of people. Pharmaceuticals would frankly love to find a treatment that keeps cancer at bay for the rest of peoples' lives - imagine THAT gold mine? You can start complaining then, and I pray for that to happen, but it hasn't. In the relative scheme of pharma spending and profits, there's much more that comes from other diseases. Now Marie has a great point - the actual treatments, surgery, and care certainly does bankrupt people, but that's more an indictment on the system than on the people looking for a cure IMHO.

[KYYX4ever]

Oh OK, thanks for explaining.

But what if those pharmaceuticals [i]worked[/i] ? And could keep that person alive for a long, long time....with the help of some potent meds. Or is it like the pharmas for AIDS...those are indeed costly meds, but from what I understand, around the world, many of those folks aren't even paying for them. That doesn't sound very clear. What I mean is that you'll see some report on the BBC where like half of this African village has AIDS. So they've got them on a veritable phalanx of retro-(or is anti-)viral drugs, you know the kind where they have to take like 40 pills a day. But those poor starving Africans cannot seriously be paying for all of that ! What is behind that, do you know ? Who pays for that?