I went to see my friend Chris today. He has cancer. Or I should say he "had" cancer. He died a few hours after I saw him. He was 50.
How many of you have that same story? How many of you have heard "I just saw him!", "I thought he was getting better", "he was so young", and all that other crap that you hear people say when something like this happens? It keeps playing over and over in my mind. No shit someone just saw him...We all know that he was young since we are all the same age, and yes, he was getting better until he wasn't. Now what?
How is it that we have money for walls and wars, for cages and Space Force, but not for our government to say that cancer is not just a disease, but an epidemic of epic proportions that needs to be seriously looked at with regard to a goddamn cure?
See that looooong line up top on my little graphic with my fancy red arrow pointing to it? That's LUNG cancer. (Technically, Tracheal, Bronchial and Lung) The other arrow is pointing to Lip and Oral Cavity cancer. 90 % of the people who get and/or die from lung cancer were smokers. You are 30% more likely to die from lung cancer if you are a smoker. Smokeless tobacco is known to have more than 30 additional carcinogens BESIDES nicotine, And yet, both are LEGAL! There is nothing redeeming about a cigarette. Nothing. They kill you, they stink, they can kill people around them, they look stupid, they make your breath RANK, and they stay in landfills forever. Oh, and cause fires. WHAT is good about cigarettes??? (And before anyone tries to call me out, yes I used to smoke. It was gross and I was stupid. Enough said.)
Here in Pennsylvania, the age to be able to buy cigarettes just went up to 21 and people were OUTRAGED! LOSING THEIR MINDS OVER IT! Back when we made it illegal to smoke in certain restaurants, you would have thought we were sacrificing virgins people were so upset. And get this, the law about being 21 doesn't include active service members. And people were ok with that because if they are old enough to die for their country, they should be old enough to have a cigarette. How in Pledge of Allegiance hell does that make sense? By all means, let's send 18 year olds to war and if they are lucky enough to come home, they can get lung cancer!! WTF??
Here's an idea...make cigarettes and snuff illegal. All the money being saved by not treating lung cancer and throat cancer can go to finding a cure for all of the other non I did-stupid-shit cancers that people like my friend Chris got, and like my mom got, and my aunt got, and my friends got or that my cousin got. My mom, my aunt and my friends are survivors. Chis and my cousin were not.