Moon shots and Competitive cancer

Yesterday I was honored to be a VIP at the MD Anderson news conference announcing the 8 cancers that are officially a part of the "Moon shot" program.  The program is a very aggressive initiative to go after cancer in 8 specific areas putting at least 3 BILLION Dollars behind the 10 year project that expects to find a cures for the various cancers.  The 8 cancers include acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, melanoma, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and breast and ovarian triple negative cancer.  There were various speakers at the news conference including the president of MDA, Dr. DePinho and a triple negative cancer survivor named Brie.  Again, I felt honored to be invited.  I am just thrilled with MD Anderson's commitment to fighting cancer and finding better treatments and cures.

What was interesting is that during the Q&A session there seemed to be more questions about the cancers that WERE NOT selected.  Of course these questions were asked by survivors and advocates of those cancers.  One question asked by a woman sitting next to me was about initiatives for pediatric oncology (her son was a leukemia survivor).  This brings me to the topic I have been wanting to write about for a while.  The sport that no one may have ever heard of...competitive cancer.  Yes, folks...it does exist and it exists in many different forms.  Here's just a few of the different types of competitive cancer:

1.  Fishing for funding

2.  Rumbling for research

3.  "I had it worse than you" storytelling

4.  The Blame Game...yes, even Bush can be blamed for cancer

5.  My all time favorite, "Embellishing and adding drama to my early stage cancer in front of a late stage cancer survivor."  

I think the first two are pretty self explanatory.  There is so much competition from just fund raising between cancers and then even within a specific cancer itself.  Also, the competition is fierce for research initiatives, who gets what trial, and even how much research goes to early stage vs late stage.  I saw that there is a lot of it that even goes on at a wonderful place such as MDA.  I can understand the disappointment for the survivors and physicians who's cancers were not selected as a moon shot, but I personally think that the moon shot initiative will help us ALL in the long run.  I don't have triple negative breast cancer, but can understand why that would be included as a moon shot.  It is the "forgotten" breast cancer, but can be the most aggressive and deadly.  I am extremely happy for triple negative breast cancer survivors and congratulate them on being part of this major initiative.  

The final 3 I listed may be more because I have a cancer that affects predominantly females and can sometimes have more of a "sorority" feel to it therefore the competitiveness.  The 5th one has gotten so bad that most times when I meet a breast cancer survivor that is stage I, I look for the first opportunity to run away.  

The most recent Stage I interaction came while I was standing in line at MDA to check in to see my oncologist.  There were 2 ladies talking in front of me.  The one that was doing most of the talking was a Stage I lady that had been 2 years out of diagnosis.  I was trying to do my best to act busy and preoccupied so they wouldn't ask me any questions, but talkative Stage I lady couldn't help her self.  She started out by saying to me how young I was to have cancer and how I'm just starting my journey since my hair was just growing out.  She was actually being quite condescending to me in my opinion.  I then informed her that actually I was not "new" to breast cancer and that I had been in treatment for 3 years since I have metastatic breast cancer.  

Here's her response, "wow, so did you just wait too long to get treatment once you found your cancer?"  

What I wanted to say to her was, "wow, are you just that stupid and insensitive to say such a thing to me?"  

But instead I just told her, "no, I didn't know I had the cancer in my breast until it was stage IV."  

Of course she then went on about how well I was doing and how great I looked so there is lots of hope.  

To all my fellow Stage I ladies out there, I don't mean to say all of you are like this.  I just seem to find every single lady who is, or I should say... they find me.  But here's something to think about,  please don't offer advice or condescending remarks to a late stage survivor...you have really no idea of what we are going through so just stop.  Especially those of you who didn't have to go through chemo.  

Then, again I have never been really good at getting along with other women so why should it be different now that I have breast cancer? LOL!!

Until next time!