Susan G Komen

http://ww5.komen.org/Donate/Donate.html

(I forgot the link)

34% on education!

I think we can say that we are all "aware" of breastcancer, even those who don't have it.

In our state Komen sponsers a program that gives free mammograms and pap smears for women who couldn't otherwise afford them. I certainly don't agree with all their corporate decisions, but I do know they have done some good things that wouldn't have gotten done otherwise.

Absolutely.....and it drives me crazy that self-exams are no longer 'officially' recommended, because that is how I found mine!

ruthbru:  That drives me crazy too.  I know, I know, some studies could not prove self-exams were beneficial, but many of us believe otherwise.

I can't believe what Wiki says about breast self-exams.  It suggests some organizations promote self exams as a way to promote fear of breast cancer.  What are we supposed to do, never touch our bodies?  

Just for comparison, I looked up information about self-exam for men (testicular cancer) and boy do they get treated differently.  It says it is a leading cause of death among young men, and strongly urges them to do a monthly self-exam, even encouraging their partners to help.  I think that's sexist.

Oh Leia~

I think it's great that you are never sick, but having smokers in my family I believe the smoking has to catch up with you one of these days...

I'm not posting garbage, I'm posting truth. What DCIS is. It ts NOT cancer. 

Well, if Leia, our resident smoker who we all have to pay for because she pollutes the air around us, says DCIS is not cancer, then it must be so.  

Don't know why I'm beating my head against the wall with you Leia, but your logic, particularly regarding your innocuous smoking, blows my mind.  You're driving all of our health care costs up with your smoking, you affect all those around you.  So my suggestion would be instead of looking around elsewhere with your CPA mind for who you can blame for driving up health care costs, start with yourself.    

Edited to add: I don't particularly have anything against smokers, but I do have an issue with a smoker who claims her habit is harmless to those around her.   

although now i'll add: if you're so worried about world finances, then you will surely believe bloated military budgets --like the United States', which is equivalent to the next 14 countries'-- needs hard examining and change, do you not?

@ Leia: well, it's nice to agree on something.

But I've been reflecting on our earlier exchange, and there were some clarifications I failed to make. My health insurance is paid through premiums from my weekly paycheck, and I paid copays for everything except radiation. Arimidex? copay. Chemo? copay. Surgery? copay. Naturopath? copay.

You describe healthcare for cancer patients in strokes so broad it nears falsehood. No one has ever said that all breast cancer patients require the exact protocol; read other threads and you'll see enormous differences. Does a woman with Stage1, grade 1, node negative cancer need my protocol? Absolutely not, and any onc worth his/her salt will say that. But a woman with my clinical profile does need the kitchen sink, and that's how that goes. Trust me when I say I would rather NOT need the kitchen sink.

 And really, do you expect women like me to say, "no worries, +Dr. A, I'm going to forego the Herceptin. Yeah, 15 positive nodes, grade 3, HER2+ - but I'm just going to take the chance, because Herceptin is so expensive and  I don't want to be a freeloader."

As far as the "millions" of Chinese women: I've not seen any statistic anywhere that discusses "millions" of breast cancer cases in China.

I don't expect medical care to be entirely free for someone like me, who has a good job, a spouse with a good job, and the ability to pay copays. But for the unemployed, the poor, the disabled, and elderly? You bet.

We could likely have a good discussion about how healthcare dollars are better spent on prevention, which is something that the U.S. consistently fails at.

this is beginning to sound like a comedy routine...."a fat nonsmoker and a thin smoker walk into a bar"....

smoking for 38 years does not a thriver make. undermines all of your other arguments about health and medical treatment. and i say that as a former smoker.

Hmmmm -- I didn't vomit during chemo.  My muscles didn't waste away; my eyes didn't look hollow.  In fact, if my hair hadn't fallen out, no one would even know I'd had chemo.

I've read a few postings on the natural news site.  Not a site I would put much faith in, sorry to say.

BTW, I'm just stating facts as I know them (about my experience) and my opinion (about that website). 

Susan, I'm sorry to say that the paranoia is really rampant with you lately...a lot of black and white statements...but hey, if that's how you want to live your life, just seems a little scary for you thinking that everyone is out to get you.