October 01, 2012

Livestrong Day 2012



Red.
Green.
Blue.
Brown.
Black.
White.
Pink.
Purple & Pink.
Yellow.

Every one of those colors has a ribbon that represents an insidiousness we’d all like to see wiped off the face of this planet. What bites even more is that list is such a tiny one; there are so many forms of this scourge and not enough colors to cover them all.

Leukemia.
Kidney.
Prostate.
Colon.
Melanoma.
Lung.
Breast.
Thyroid.
Sarcoma.

Cancer is a bitch.

I doubt any of us has escaped the touch of cancer; we all know someone who has battled it, some who won and some who did not; we’ve all loved and cared about someone who has faced the fight. Some of us—not me, and I’m grateful for that—have been the ones in the thick of the fight, reaching down deep for that one thing that will tip the scales to victory.

It’s never a fair fight. I think that’s why, when someone wins, it’s a special kind of wonderful and deserves over-the-top celebrations. And it’s also why, when someone loses, it’s an especially heinous thing worthy of deep, boiling anger and snot-running-down-your-face tears. Because it’s never fair, it’s never remotely fair.

Cancer is an enemy you can’t see; it invades and destroys, and does it so quietly that it can be months before anyone realizes it’s there. It’s hard to fight something you can’t see, something that steals an advantage without letting you know the invasion is coming.

Yeah, that’s not fair.

People do what they can; some go to school for years and years to learn about how to fight cancer, and how to sneak up on it. Some put their shoes on and walk against it, raising money so that the people who went to school can fund their research. Some write papers to teach others, some write blogs to support their friends. Cancer is one thing everyone is on the same side about: everyone is against it.

It doesn’t really matter how you go about taking your stand against cancer, whether you’re on the front line, finding new drugs to battle it, or if you’re in support services, making sandwiches for the people who are walking and raising money, or even if you’re the one sitting at a computer, trying to form a coherent thought about it. It only matters that you want the fight to end forever, and you and it to end in our favor.

People, cats, dogs, whomever. You’re in it to win it, to quote the slogan of one of the big breast cancer organizations. Do what you can, when you can.

Between last years’ Livestrong Day, and this one, we’ve lost far too many to cancer. Some are our cat friends, some are their people.

It doesn’t matter if they were a cat or a human, a dog or a bird or a rabbit or a hamster.

They were loved.

They are loved.

We need this to end.

14 comments:

Sweet Purrfections said...

We are purraying for a world where cancer no longer exists.

Gemini and Ichiro said...

A lovely post Max.

Ian said...

I think 'the woman' has hijacked your space this morning Max.
.....but given the subject, I guess that is fair!

Sparkle said...

Today, I am purring for a cure. As hard as I can!

The Island Cats said...

You said it all, Max. Cancer sux. We purr for those who have been and those who are affected by the evil C. Livestrong!

Callie (a.k.a. Trouble) said...

Cancer has unfortunately touch just about everyone's life. It needs to go deaded. We posted about the Mommie's sister and her cancer battle on our site.

Midnight Special said...

You forgot one very serious cancer, Liver cancer. My man guardian survived with a liver transplant, he is still recovering.

Angel, Kirby and Max said...

Max, you have said it better than we could have! Live Strong

Carli N. Wendell said...

Cancer sucks, Max. You should treat it to a toothy death.

Vicat said...

I'm an 8 year survivor and I can't say this enough -
Thank you to everyone in the fight! Your work helped save my life! Keep kicking cancer to the curb!
~Vicat

Kate said...

I support all cancer fighting organizations that I can financially do. I lost my first husband (and best friend in the whole world) to cancer of the esophagus in 1997. Cancer sucks and we need to do everything we can to make it be gone. Great post Max and "Woman"!!

Memories of Eric and Flynn said...

Cancer is evil! I lost my dad to leukaemia when he was 36 years old. He spent a considerable time in hospital before he lost his battle. Back then children were only allowed to visit on rare occasions so I barely remember him, but I have photos of myself as a toddler with him. My mother died aged 50 from metastasized breast cancer. I am the fortunate one. It is 16 1/2 months since my cancer operation and things are looking good.
We are purring and praying that one day soon, cancer will be a thing of the past.

Shaggy and Scout said...

Our human dad is cancer free for 10 years now. He had a sarcoma tumor in his leg and they cut out a big chunk of leg to get it, and all the tentacles it sent out into the tissues. He was treated here at the Univ. of Minnesota a major research center for sarcoma. A few years ago they added veterinary research for sarcoma too!

Gigi said...

We totally 'greez with efurry word you said, but we want to add that two dear furiends of the Human have recently beaten Big Bad Cancers with lousy prognoses (inflammatory breast cancer & advanced ovarian cancer). It's been more than 8 years for both of them and the Human wants people to remember that funding research really DOES lead to better treatments which really DOES lead to people getting CURED and getting to live out their lives!

Sadly, of course, many people do not make it, including the Human's dad who died almost 30 years ago, and we purray for all of them, Humans and Kittehs and other creatures great and small XOXOXO