Tuesday, October 16, 2012

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY - HAPPY TO BE ALIVE AND WELL! (ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2011)

Sally and I were having dinner with a wealthy acquaintance of mine and was astounded when he proclaimed that "I don't support medical causes, they already get too much money." He knew I had leukemia. What he didn't know was that cancer would soon strike his immediate family. Does he still feel the same way?
I have now had cancer for ten years. It's called CLL, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. It is an incurable disease. Many people die from it and some people live a long time with it. Your prognosis is based to a great extent on the makeup of your DNA and the quality of medical care you can get.
If I would have listened to my original hematology oncologists, when first diagnosed, I would have been gone from this earth a long time ago. I was fortunate enough to seek out one of the very best physicians in this field, Dr. Michael J. Keating of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. After about four years the cancer advanced to the point where I needed treatment. It was through Dr. Keating and his wonderful staff (especially Alice Lynn) that I received the state of the art chemotherapy treatment, long before it was recognized as the "gold standard treatment" for this disease. Simply put, there was all sorts of recommended treatments across the country, most of which have since been dropped and many of which were being recommended on the Internet.
My knowledge of this disease is extensive and modestly I have been able to point more than a few people in the right direction in order to help them with this disease, CLL.
During my extremely difficult chemotherapy treatments, I was thankful for the medicine created by the biotech industry, without which many cancer deaths would come much sooner.
If I have one piece of advice for dealing with this disease it would be to seek out the best possible medical advice, have a complete modern diagnosis of your blood and make sure you get the latest treatment protocol. Unfortunately there are only about ten world class leukemia treatment centers in our country. Many are really good but only a few are great. Another piece of advice, don't listen and believe too much of what you read on the Internet, much of which is confusing, misleading and written by the wrong people. You only have one chance to fight this, so make it your best chance.
I have been lucky, I'm still alive after ten years, still in great shape and look forward to a long life. It turns out I fought this disease correctly and reaped the benefits. You can live with cancer if you fight it correctly and if you're lucky. You can help others if you learn through the process of taking care of yourself. You can never let the word cancer prevent you from having a positive outlook.
"Money Cures."
http://www.cllglobal.org/

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

OBAMA'S PREPARED...BUT WILL THE REPUBLICANS BE IN 2012 (ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 12/7/11)

On December 6, 2011 President Obama gave a brilliant speech in Kansas. He covers alot of territory, mostly economic. Between the lines you can read that the country has not increased the standard of living in a long time. He calls it the problem of the middle class and obviously those below the middle class. He seems to really understand that a combination of factors, from unions, geopolitical forces, greed, over emphasis on financial activities, entitlements and advanced technology have contributed to the lack of increasing living standards. He couches his speech in populist rhetoric but certainly comprehends the big picture better than any other politician I have heard speak on these issues. This makes him tough to beat in the upcoming election.

The magnificent Lincoln/Douglas debates of the 1850s centered on different views about the cohesiveness of the Union and issues pertaining to slavery.

Now we are faced with the Republican Presidential candidates arguing their view of how to get America's economic prosperity returning to preeminence.

Lincoln/Douglas versus Obama and the Republicans. Obama is prepared for the equivalent of the 1850s debate. Let's hope the Republicans can put forth a candidate with the clarity and vision expressed in Obama's Kansas speech.

Here is the link to President Obama's speech. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/06/remarks-president-economy-osawatomie-kansas
 

Shepard Osherow. All Rights Reserved