I Checked My Social Schedule for the New Year

And I realized I am officially a senior citizen

Photo by Diogo Cardoso on Unsplash

It’s only the second day of the new year, so I checked my calendar for upcoming events. I never did this when I was younger because I had no problem remembering what I had planned for the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Back then, my social schedule consisted of my Mother’s and Father’s days, my parents and brothers’ birthdays, term paper due dates, the occasional wedding, and maybe a concert or two. I had no problem remembering the dates of keg parties, beer blasts, or other drinking events, primarily because they happened almost every weekend.

Today is different. Looking ahead to the next 264 days, I found one wedding anniversary party and one air show my husband has booked in advance. However, plenty of other appointments are scattered throughout the next 12 months.

Each of those appointments is a doctor’s appointment or appointment to have my blood drawn. I have appointments with my primary care physician, cardiologist, urologist, pulmonologist, and gastroenterologist.

I can’t remember having a doctor’s appointment other than a yearly or employment physical when I was younger. As I aged I acquired a series of badges of the old age process, I began to have fewer social events and more medical-related appointments.

To make things a bit more confusing about having so many doctors’ appointments in our “golden years,” we also have more of a problem remembering those appointments. If I don’t write it down immediately, there’s a good chance I’ll forget it. Fortunately, my healthcare system does an excellent job of keeping track of my appointments and reminding me of them as they are near.

Checking my social schedule has become a tradition for celebrating the New Year. I am not complaining because to remain healthy, it has to be done. The time to worry is when I check the schedule and see an appointment for the undertaker!

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Will There Ever Be a Cure for Cancer?

Or is there already a cure?

Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash

I spent many years in pathology, as a Cytologist, searching for cancer cells in a variety of specimens. I saw cancer every day, but fortunately, I didn’t connect the cancer to a person, just a name I was not familiar with most of the time. I knew I would always have a job, as long as I wanted one because there was no cure in sight.

I have been retired for many years, and since then, I have seen many advances in the treatment of various types of cancer. Notice I said treatment, not cure.

I am sure many have seen several ads from various pharmaceutical companies touting their newest drugs that promise a longer life living with cancer. That longer life is a matter of months or perhaps five years, at tops. The ads always show patients swimming, hiking, dancing, or being involved in other physical activities, suggesting that someone suffering from this particular type of cancer could do the same. There is no mention of the tens of thousands of dollars in cost to get the drug.

For those suffering from cancer, being able to live a few months more is worth the cost or the side effects. I am sure thousands of patients would love to spend just a bit more time with their families.

In a way, these advances and this type of advertising seem cruel. If you can’t afford the drug, you don’t get a little extra time to live. I wonder, if a drug company can develop a drug that will allow a cancer patient to live a few months longer, why can’t they develop a drug that will eradicate the cancer for good?

The answer to my question can be associated with the legislation signed by Biden last year, which lowered the cost of insulin to no more than $35 a month. Every single Republican voted against it. Republicans have promised to repeal that bill once they take over Congress and the Presidency. Why? Millions of Americans depend on insulin to stay alive; thus, drug companies can rake in billions of dollars at higher prices.

In recent Congressional hearings, a question asked in 2018 by Goldman Sachs analysts in a report to biotech companies was referenced in a discussion of high prescription drug costs. That question was, “Is curing patients a sustainable business model?”

Do drug companies value profits over human life? And do some politicians value drug company donations over the lives of their fellow Americans? I think the evidence from the past actions of both politicians and big pharma is a resounding yes.

Just a couple of days ago, Donald Trump and Elon Musk wanted a proposed spending bill to avert a government shutdown that would eliminate spending for childhood cancer research. Luckily, every Democrat in the House and 34 Republicans voted against it. What can we expect in the future regarding drug costs and healthcare?

I have long felt that there has been a cure for some types of cancer, but the pharmaceutical companies have managed to silence the science behind the cures. People dying from cancer put a lot of money into the pockets of big pharma. If everyone lived longer, drug companies would make millions instead of billions.

As long as we allow the drug companies to buy and maintain politicians, we will not have cheaper drugs, and there will be no cures for cancer or other diseases affecting millions of people.

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