Cancer

This isn't what I intended to write about at all, but I am frankly frightened by what I am reading during our final weeks leading up to the election. The serious press seems to be at last waking from the dream/nightmare of the last eight years. As they groggily shake their heads to clear them, they are beginning to lay bare the truth behind some of the propoganda being promoted by the McCain campaign, the "Roveian" tactics that have been so incredibly effective for the Republicans. (The not-so-serious press is too busy rolling in the delights of a VP candidate with a photogenic face and accessories, but more on that later.) It is hard enough to watch the ads that claim Obama will raise taxes--not true for the vast majority of Americans--or see how ridiculously easy it still is to use scare tactics and disseminate falsehoods--- "repeat a lie ofen enough and it will be believed" It is even more difficult to contemplate those subjects not being discussed.

So let's talk about cancer. In particular, let's talk about skin cancer. There are a couple of kinds that most people know about: Basal cell carcinoma is the kind that lots of fair-skinned northern European types get once they hit middle age. The dermatologist removes it in an office procedure and it is a pain, but not generally deadly. Melanoma is the other one. It can affect anyone, and it can show up anywhere, not just in areas that have been overexposed to the sun. It spreads aggressively, to the point that some surgical procedures call for mapping the downstream lymph system and removing it along with the mole in question.

My half-sister was diagnosed with melanoma on her shoulder blade at the age of 34. She had spent a few years living in Arizona and was a real outdoors type. She was fortunate enough to have excellent health insurance and she was successfully treated. In October 1999, 10 years after she was declared "cancer free," she decided to move from Arkansas to Colorado. Her doctor gave her a thorough check up to serve as a baseline for her new medical providers in Colorado--in the course of this, a nodule was discovered in her lung. It was just sitting there quietly, causing no symptoms yet, and we all felt that she was extremely lucky to have had this diagnosed by happenstance, much earlier than it would have been otherwise. Also on her side was her otherwise good health, and excellent health insurance and access to care. Needless to say, treatment was aggressive. Eight months later, at the age of 45, she died of metastatic melanoma to the brain.

This is a sad story, but in the case of my half-sister, there were no national implications. Her death did not impair the running of a nation or result in a stunningly unqualified politician taking up the reins of our government. While some of you might argue that we have had a stunningly unqualified person at the helm for the last eight years and nothing too bad happened, let me remind you that plenty of bad things happened. Even so, as much as I have been unable to watch our President in action (can anyone forget him getting the giggles when the mayor of Hamburg, Germany referred to her people as Hamburgers?) it could be far, far seriously worse if Sarah Palin gets keys to the White House and the code to the direct line to the Kremlin--(howdy neighbor!) among other things.

I suppose I could be accused of using the same scare tactics that have been so effective for the Republicans. I have a couple of things to say about that. First of all, some of you may not find this scenario scary ("kind of a babe" in the White House!) but you should. The second is that everything I say here is true, and has nothing to do with spin. Finally, (alright, three things) this is a reason to NOT vote for McCain. There are plenty of reasons to vote FOR Obama that have nothing to do with the McCain/Palin ticket. Check them out, use your healthy brain, and vote.