MsC1210 Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 As many of you know, Red Sox commentator Jerry Remy has recently made public his battle with lung cancer. This letter to the editor appears in today's Boston Globe and is written by a young woman who lost her Mom to LC recently. I hope you will all take a moment to read the letter and post a comment to it. It's a great way to be heard and show some support for the fight against this disease. Remy's diagnosis brings lung cancer into the open May 9, 2009 Email| Print| Reprints| Yahoo! Buzz| ShareThisText size – + I WANT to commend Jerry Remy for coming forward with his lung cancer diagnosis. It's rare for public figures to admit that they have lung cancer because it's a disease that's thought to be "self-inflicted." Famous patients open themselves up to harsh criticism for "bad habits" (i.e., smoking), and I applaud Remy for being brave enough to share his diagnosis with the world. What people don't know is that most lung cancer patients have either quit smoking, as in Remy's case, or never smoked in the first place. In fact, one of the fastest-growing groups of lung cancer sufferers is women who have never smoked. But does it matter if someone smoked or not? Cancer is never caused by one thing, and whatever the "cause," lung cancer patients deserve only our compassion and support for a terrible illness. I lost my mother to lung cancer 17 months ago, and with Mother's Day approaching, I miss her terribly. Reading Remy's story brings her closer to me because she shared his courage and strength. She would have been proud to see him telling his story to the world. Julia Gaynor Charlestown http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/edito ... _the_open/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraL Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Nobody deserves lung cancer, any other kind of cancer or any kind of life threatening illness. We all deserve empathy and support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patti B Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Great article Chris and thank you so much for posting it. I had trouble trying to post a comment to it; my computer locked up so will try again later. Wish more people realized how unfair it is to think of us "deserving" this!!! Hugs - Patti B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsC1210 Posted May 9, 2009 Author Share Posted May 9, 2009 Patti I did find that I had to register in order to post a comment but it is a very simple thing and to me, it was worth the few moments it took to do so. Thank you so much for always being such a great source of support. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shineladysue Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Thanks , Chris, for bringing this to our attention. I've posted my comments. The stigma that is erroneously attached to lung cancer needs to be removed. No one deserves to be diagnosed with lung cancer or any disease. When will people quit pointing, making unfair judgments and placing blame. It's time for educating the world and for all to join together in an effort to CURE cancer, not ridicule patients. Uh Oh, I think I had better get off my soap box, I think my anger is showing. Again, thanks. Hugs, Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shineladysue Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Ps. I had to register, also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillise Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 This is a great letter. Thank you for posting it! Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patti B Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Well, I got on and posted a comment. Thanks again Chris for posting this!! Hugs - Patti B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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