I enjoy Father’s Day, receiving nice cards and gifts from my wife and children. What’s not to like?
On this Father’s Day, I find myself also thinking about the Boston Prostate Cancer Walk, which is held every year on Father’s Day, and which I never participate in, even though I’m a surivor of prostate cancer. Why don’t I want to be involved in such an event, given my personal experience and the fact that I known many men who have had prostate cancer (including some who have died from the disease)?
I’ve had difficulty articulating my standoffishness. It isn’t that I don’t want to discuss my experiences, since I’ve done that at some length, both in writing and in counseling men who have been diagnosed with the disease. No, I believe the problem has to do with uncertainties I feel about the medical establishment. Its orientation seems to be to find a magic bullet that will cure this disease. At least that is what I think it is. The truth is, I don’t know exactly what the money that is raised is used for. I just assume it’s used to find some chemical compounds that will do the trick.
This isn’t just a problem I have concerning prostate cancer. It applies to all the diseases I get calls and letters to support–heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, breast cancer, etc., etc. I heard something today on PBS (can’t find the program to link to), saying that we now have more than 200 diseases the government sanctions official months, weeks, or days (as in "Diabetes Awareness Month").
I guess I’d like to know more about how the research money raised on behalf of these diseases is spent. If it’s mostly spent to give Big Pharma additional patents, well, then I’m less than enthusiastic. But if I knew it were spent on educational programs to encourage prevention of these diseases, I might feel a lot more strongly in favor. Anyone have some answers?
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