Day 1500: "War and Peace"

Day 1500: "War and Peace"

Leo Tolstoy wrote a book named, "War and Peace."  People judge lengths of novels to this book, it is 1,225 pages long.  This effort is so much longer than that novel, but he also edited.

There was no hero or heroine in the end as characters went through extreme experiences.

Did I read it?  No way, just like I don't believe people when they say they read every one of these. Laughter.

But I did it for one reason, the cancer researchers. I meticulously tried to keep my name out of all these posts, not signing them, using 'me', cringing when people used my name in messages but always answered using the '1500DaysCancer' moniker. It is not about me. It is about them.

I have felt this way for twenty years, not just the past 1500 days.

I am so proud of their work, much goes so unnoticed as they spend hours and hours. Sure, many of us spend hours and hours in Corporate America, for what? To make some new 'money goal'? Oh boy, we just hit one billion dollars in Net Profit. Let's party.

These people save lives, the people on the Mayo/Iowa Lymphoma SPORE save lives. Doctors and non-doctors working along side each other, unnamed for the most part. 

In this story, there are heroes. Them. It is all about them.

All one has to do is look at the survival curve in lymphoma and know they are the envy of all cancers.  I won't post it, I am done.

I have poured my heart and soul into this effort, just like I have the past 20 years. People worry about me. (...and I still laugh at that.)

I am fine. I actually am grateful and blessed. Not for cancer, but for time.

I feel I do use it wisely and many times I feel I use it better than most people. I live life on a different plane, you won't see me working late in the office anymore but you will with my advocacy. To help others.

Why?

People. Numbers and Math. Simple math.

By now you realize 1500 Americans die a day of cancer, it is a real problem in our society. One I will not let go of until I die. Perhaps even after I have withdrawn from society at the end like Natasha did in the aforementioned novel.

Since I started this effort, exactly 1500 days ago, not missing a day:

2,250,000 people have died of cancer in America

Sadly, the math is correct. Actually it is closer to 2.5 Million but I didn't set out on a 1600 a day effort, partly because I still like (unlike) to say "A Titanic a Day" dies of cancer or "three full 747s a day" die of cancer. 

"All Aboard the Titanic."

"Welcome to Americancer Airlines."

(Eyes glazed with complacency, no, I get it.)

But the positive is the people in this SPORE, expertly led by Drs. Tom Witzig and George Weiner, (special shout out to Matt Mauerer and Dr. Annie Novak.)

And for my next chapter, the new LEO program, national, led by Drs. James Cerhan (Mayo) and Christopher Flowers (Emory) with a special shoutout to Julianne Lunde (Mayo) and Barbara Copeland (Emory.)

Heroes. Thank you from the deepest part of my soul.

I wish our language had evolved since Caveman times and we didn't have to use battle and war in every tough thing we enocounter. Especially when we give our patients nothing, no options, out there on the battle field as they die courageously. Mind numbing. But I concede...as I didn't give alternative words. 

Bottom line:

We need to support the cancer researchers, specific projects,  and win the "War on Cancer" once and for all. 

Peace.