Lung Cancer's Toll

by compound complex 9 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  compound complex

  Dear Friends,

  I heard on the news that one of our brightest stars - Beverly Sills - died last night of lung cancer. She was a brilliant singer as well as a wonderful human being. She will surely be missed.
  Last week my cousin died of the same disease. And in the fairly recent past Christopher Reeve's wife likewise succumbed to the same. An elderly sister who died several years ago told me that her doctor advised her to stop smoking - her lungs were "black."
  Only one of the four mentioned above was a smoker. I'm going to do some more research - including a look at Mary's recent thread - to understand how non-smokers are not without risk.
  Your comments are welcomed.

  Many thanks,

  CoCo
• 

  lonelysheep

  We're all at risk. There are things we can avoid in order to decrease our chances.

  I've lost family members to lung cancer.
• 

  Hortensia

  tobacco smoke isn't the only pollutant that can cause lung cancer. There's asbestos, for instance, and coal dust (miners) and many other things. Also, I have read several times now about bacteria that cause cancer - maybe some bacteria in the lungs cause cancer. I'm sorry for your loss - it's so sad to watch people struggle with cancer.
• 

  Rooster

  something is going to get you..
• 

  rebel8

  I don't think there is any classification of cancer that has a single cause.
  
  What's sad is the public loves to point to non-smokers who get lung cancer and point to it as some sort of evidence that tobacco isn't that harmful.
  
  Truth is, tobacco is the #1 cause of lung cancer, and non-smokers get it from breathing secondhand smoke. Check to see what the American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, Center for Disease Control, etc. say about it. The scientific evidence of that is overwhelming.
  
  Every eight seconds, someone in the world dies from tobacco.
  1200 American smokers every day--dead from tobacco.
  173 American nonsmokers every day--dead from breathing someone else's tobacco smoke.
  
  It's sad that all these people are being subjected to suffering and early death, just from using it as intended.
  
  Their families watch them suffer and die early deaths.
  
  It's sad the tobacco industry is allowed to lie to the public about tobacco's dangers and stoke its products with even more addictive substances just to keep people hooked.
  
  It's sad they are still in business, despite killing millions and being ruled racketeers.
  
  It's sad President Bush hasn't been impeached (yet) for forcing Department of Justice staff to stop trying to collect multi-billion dollar settlements due to the American people, and for firing DOJ staff who refused to cooperate.
  
  Why? Money talks.
• 

  Warlock

  Personally, I think the increase in respiratory diseases is caused by diesel fumes and residue from disc brakes.

  Warlock
• 

  Bonnie_Clyde

  I am a survivor of lung cancer and never smoked a day in my life nor did I ever live with anyone who smoked. Although I had major surgery to remove the tumor, I was lucky that I didn't need radiation or chemo. It was caught early as a result of an x-ray that was taken for another reason. I wonder if not smoking improved my chances of surviving.
• 

  I quit!

  My sister-in-law a JW died from lung cancer in February. She never smoke and wasn't around smokers. Her grandfather smoked for as least 70 years and only died at 89 as a result of an accident. I've heard that lung cancer is going up among non-smoking women. I guess what I am trying to say that if you blame the entire problem on smoking or second had smoke you may be missing something that is a major factor in the disease.
• 

  JWdaughter

  I wonder how the various congregations treat JWs who die of lung cancer?

  I think that it is more likely that a person who has lung cancer is a smoker, but who cares? Cancer is hell and no one wishes to see anyone go through it. I am sick of moral judgements being levied on cancer patients (of any kind). I think that the OPs numbers give me one more reason to despise the organization who treats smokers as some special kind of sinner that deserves exclusion from the kingdom of God. If there is a hell. . .it is for mean people, not simple 'sinners'.
• 

  compound complex

  Thank you, Friends, for your enlightening and helpful comments. I am sorry for the grief and suffering that you and yours have suffered from cancer - in any form. And what is the point of passing judgment on smokers who do contract lung cancer? Your point, JWdaughter, is well taken. I, too, have known smokers who died but not from lung cancer.
  As a sufferer of pulmonary disease [non-cancerous] for many years, it was a relief to learn that my symptoms were misdiagnosed. I ended up "settling" for a less virulent form of the illness. As it is said, nothing else matters if you cannot breathe!

  I have learned something from all your comments.

  Gratefully,

  CoCo