Cancer is a word that creates fear, anxiety, and can break the resolve of the strongest person. This disease, in whatever form, has touched most everyone in some way or fashion. Most have lost a family member, friend, classmate, or someone to this deadly disease. The only disease we, as a society, have battled any harder than cancer may be muscular dystrophy. Actor Jerry Lewis sort of adopted the children with MS. The outpouring of support each year made them our children as well. It doesn't matter if you live in Harold, Fidelis, East Milton, Brownsdale, New York, Pace, Milton, or Pea Ridge, we all have felt the effects of cancer. Today, a diagnosis of cancer is no longer a death sentence. In fact, things like Relay for Life become a celebration of survival. Today, instead of death, surgery is often a successful option. The outer scars some still wear today is just a small reminder of how far we have come as a society overall. When we put our minds to something, we can do it. Color, race, creed, national origin, and political party don't matter; we put our collective wills together and do it. Why can't we do this with everything else? In less than a month we are going to elect a leader for this nation. While the campaigning is going on we become divided as a nation via Democrat and Republican; Pro-life and Pro-choice; Immigration; Job Creation, or whatever issue is your key point (hot button). We wonder why we can't all just come together, just like we do to battle something as ugly and bad as cancer. As a county we have made a difference in cancer research and in prolonging life with research and treatment, yet we cannot treat the homeless, hungry, or other problems that are facing our nation. If we would attack some of the key issues with the same passion and vigor, we would cause real change. It is amazing how we want to change some things while leaving other items untouched.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: The brave fight