Is lack of funding just an American thing?

[teriw]

Hi everyone,

I was just packaging up my second set of 5 beautiful cookbooks to send over to our family in England and Spain. (I know they'll love receiving them!)

I was thinking about why lung cancer is so under-funded. I wondered, is it the same in Canada, or the U.K., or Japan? Anyone know? Just curious...

[RandyW]

Also with Chinas growing Population of smaokers they are getting into research heavily also.

[mary colleen]

I travel internationally a lot for my job, and would say that the under funding is pretty much global.

[wondermom]

It is horrible. My mom was just diagnosed in December and I am just horrified to learn how underfunded lung cancer research is. I feel so hopeless and wish desperately that there was some way I could raise awareness or help to raise more money. I was feeling so strongly about this that I recently e-mailed Oprah's producers on her website last week to suggest she do a show on raising awareness about lung cancer and lc research! Not sure if anything will come of it but I figured what have I got to lose. I think I just needed to feel like I tried to do something...anything. Maybe if everyone on these boards wrote it too it would get more attention. I know it may sound kind of corny to ask Oprah to help but, seriously, that woman knows how to get the message across!

[teriw]

That's actually a really good idea! Or a 60 Minutes broadcast. Because I too was stunned. I think most people are. It's not something I ever thought of before it touched me personally. Like most of you, I've given money to cancer research, supported a friend on a breast cancer fundraising walk, but never knew there was such disparity for funding among the different types of cancer.

So, where do I write Oprah?!

[teriw]

That's a great idea, Katie. I will definitely do that. I had the same thought about Peter Jennings. I would think doing a profile on this site alone would make a fabulous story.

[j's girl]

Do you think the smoking stigma comes into play with both the lack of funding and the lack of media attention? Because lung cancer is seen as a "smoker's disease" and smoking has become so "socially unacceptable", I think the issue of lung cancer suffers. It is not a glamourous cause for corporations to back and funding is channelled into prevention (ie creating another stop smoking aid).

It makes me angry because creating another aid to help people who don't want to quit will do nothing.

On the other hand, you would think the stagering numbers of new cases and deaths every year would move any person with a social conscience into action. After her diagnosis, Mom went online to do research. When she saw the stats, she said, "Those have to be old numbers". It seems incomprehendable that our society would tolerate this and yet somehow we do.

Sorry, just had to rant.

Shauna

[mary colleen]

Shauna,

I understand your logic regarding the possible rationale that LC recieves less attention and funding because of the "stigma effect" of smoking.

However,I find it hard to reconcile that reasoning against the fact that other diseases that are also sometimes correlated by choices and behavior receive plenty of attention and funding. Examples are heart disease and AIDs.

I'm guessing that you are probably correct that LC recieves low funding and attention partly because of the the association to smoking. I'm just unsure why that dynamic would come into play specifically against LC and not so many other conditions.

One other thing to consider is the sheer size and degree of organization some other disease coalitions have reached in comparison to LC. The size and degree of development in those organiztions is probably key to getting the publicity, press, and funding that they do. Maybe LC will be at that point in a few years with continued efforts of people like Katie and so many others.

Just my thoughts.