[divider style=”shadow”]
I’m not fond of cancer. No one is. But I’m really not fond of the multi-billion dollar industry it’s created…
Do you know – should we find a cure for cancer – how many of our friends, neighbors, and family will be out of work? Sure, we’ll curtail the beyond-lofty expense on existing treatments and pharmaceuticals; but at what cost? Think about it…we’re simultaneously erasing the income of hundreds of thousands – from researchers, lab-techs, doctors and nurses, to not-for-profit staffers who devote their lives to raising money to assist patients and fund research working toward eradicating the disease.
Cancer…is a bigger monster than you’ve ever allowed yourself to imagine. Yes – it’s still killing mammals like it has since the dawn of time. Humans like my Mom…to nearly every dog I’ve been lucky enough to share loyal companionship.
But now…Cancer’s uglier than just death. It has tightly woven its life-ending thread into the fabric of our economy; and that grip is tenacious…firmer than any strangle hold.
It’s frightening – you can’t help but jump on some conspiracy-theorist’s magic carpet…floating the sky, peering down at the black lung of life – convinced the cure’s there…somewhere… restrained from emergence to avoid the financial collapse of a multi-billion dollar medical reality.
Whatever…
Conspiracy theories make for great drama, but I CHOOSE to elect faith in my fellow man and belief in compassion…to far outweigh any fondness I have for a great story.
I’ve seen the skeletal truth of Cancer’s death grip. I’ve witnessed it take life’s final breath. But I’ve also witnessed divine human compassion at places like Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston; I’ve absorbed the meaning of miracle at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis; and I’ve hugged the neck of survival.
These realities, for those of us left to wander this rock, are far more powerful – here and now – than the extinguishing of life’s flame.
These realities – are why I continue to support the fundraising efforts of places like St. Jude and the American Cancer Society. However, from Brigham & Women’s to St. Jude to my friends at the ACS – I make no bones about it…through my support, my number-one priority is to make sure that these people I know lose their relevance, lose their job, and ultimately wind up on the street…unemployed. Because I love ‘em – and because I’m not fond of cancer…and the multi-billion dollar industry it’s created.
If you’ve witnessed a flame extinguished…or have experienced a dimming flicker – join me in lighting a luminaria in memory of my mom at the 2012 Cattle Baron’s Ball. It’s August 18th at the Darr Ag Center in Springfield, MO. You don’t need a ticket for the ball…for just $20 you can honor your loved one with a single flame…a Light of Hope – and help fund an industry today, that with faith, we will bankrupt tomorrow.
