Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies

Today I am grateful for the friends I have in the local breast cancer support group and for my friend Dorothy and the chance for yet another walk and talk yesterday.

I have put the miles on the last few days while walking and talking with three different friends. Yesterday my friend, and new neighbor Dorothy, and I walked in the windy warmth. We got caught up on a few things going on in our lives and the lives of those around us. Dorothy is one of my spiritual advisors and was in that role even before she became an ordained minister.

To be able to walk and talk with a friend. To spend time with other members of our local breast cancer support group, all of us having known one another for several years now. To be alive. What blessings! What extensive gratitude.

In the midst of all this, I caught some of the six hours of the PBS documentary: "Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies." It is based on the Pulitzer-prize winning book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer written by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee and initially released in late 2010. I was fascinated by this book when I first read it. It was so well-written as it gave both the history of human efforts to understand cancer and the deeply personal stories of both patients with cancer and the doctors and researchers working to demystify it.

Combine excellent writing with the work of documentary producer Ken Burns and director Barak Goodman and the outcome is captivating video. Even before my own cancer diagnosis, I was paying more attention to news about cancer because of my sisters' breast cancer diagnoses. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself in 2008, I opted to be well-informed with reputable information. I had always been a history buff too, so I did some reading on the history of breast and other cancers.

Cancer scares me. My biggest fear for myself and many others I care about is the "m" word of metastasis. But I still prefer information to aid in my understanding of what we are up against with this wily and deadly disease. Faith helps me face the fear.

I so appreciate the many advances that have been made in cancer treatment, especially in the last 50-60 years. They have helped me and many people I care about. They have helped millions. The latest research in immunotherapy looks promising as well. But cancer continues to humble humans in many ways. We need to continue the right efforts and appropriate funding in order for research advances to keep moving toward a cure.

Thank you for this excellent book and equally excellent documentary. Thank you to all who made them possible. I would encourage you to check either or both out.

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