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Curt Schilling Reveals He Was Diagnosed With Mouth Cancer ... Believes Chewing Tobacco Was the Cause
The Boston Globe ^ | August 20, 2014 | Steve Silva

Posted on 08/20/2014 8:26:11 AM PDT by EveningStar

Curt Schilling Reveals He Was Diagnosed With Mouth Cancer in February, Believes Chewing Tobacco Was the Cause

Curt Schilling, the former Red Sox pitcher and ESPN analyst, announced today during the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon that he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma -- which is cancer in the mouth -- in February.

"This all came about from a dog bite," Schilling said. "I got bitten by a dog and I had some damage to my finger and I went to see a doctor, and the day that I went to see the doctor, I was driving and I went to rub my neck and I felt a lump on the left side of my neck. And I knew immediately it wasn't normal. So there happened to be an ENT [Ear, Nose, and Throat] right next door to the hand doctor, and I thought what the heck, let me just stop in and see and so I waited in the office and went in there and they did the biopsy, and two days later, they diagnosed me with squamous cell carcinoma.

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Sports
KEYWORDS: cancer; chewingtobacco; curtschilling; mouthcancer
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1 posted on 08/20/2014 8:26:11 AM PDT by EveningStar
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To: EveningStar

And Joe Garagiola ranted on this every time he was on the Diamondbacks TV or radio, WTG Joe! Sorry Curt!


2 posted on 08/20/2014 8:30:44 AM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: EveningStar

MrD’s grandad died of mouth cancer and he chewed tobacco. That didn’t stop MrD and he chewed for over 50 years before he quit. So far no mouth cancer for him. Just lucky I guess.


3 posted on 08/20/2014 8:34:08 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: EveningStar

“I didn’t talk about it for two reasons. No. 1, I didn’t want to get into the chewing tobacco debate, which I knew was going to come about, which to me, I’ll go to my grave believing that was why I got what I got... absolutely, no question in my mind about that. And the second thing was I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me.


A good response but remember not everyone who chews tobacco gets cancer of the mouth. Not everyone who smokes cigs gets lung cancer.


4 posted on 08/20/2014 8:34:43 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Where is your thinking cap? The one you were issued in elementary school.)
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To: Ditter; EveningStar

“MrD’s grandad died of mouth cancer and he chewed tobacco. That didn’t stop MrD and he chewed for over 50 years before he quit. So far no mouth cancer for him. Just lucky I guess.”

I had a very well-respected surgeon in Houston tell me that most people are ‘pre-disposed’ to certain ailments because of genes. For example, if there is a history of heart disease in your family then the chances of getting heart ailments are 50 - 50. If there is no history of heart disease in your family then the chances of getting heart disease drop to almost zero.

The same goes for cancer or any other ailment.

It is like that across the board, regardless of the particular ailment.

And, that is exactly why, when one goes to any doctor, the very first things they have on the ‘questionnaire’ are questions about family history in a very long list of ailments.


5 posted on 08/20/2014 8:52:10 AM PDT by spel_grammer_an_punct_polise (Why does every totalitarian political hack think that he knows how to run my life better than I do?)
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To: spel_grammer_an_punct_polise

Yes of course, It’s all about the genes. MrD’s mother smoked 50+ years and died of lung cancer. Both my parents smoked an equal amount of time and died of something else.


6 posted on 08/20/2014 9:00:23 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: PeterPrinciple

Fascinating. Did you also know that fewer than 17% of people playing Russian Roulette get a bullet in the head when they pull the trigger?


7 posted on 08/20/2014 9:06:16 AM PDT by Go_Raiders (Freedom doesn't give you the right to take from others, no matter how innocent your program sounds.)
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To: Go_Raiders

I am just personally tired of being manipulated and saved from everything by govt and political correctness. Many people do not get cancer from smoking. Many people do not get hangovers from drinking.

There have been studies in which low rates of smoking and drinking are beneficial for health.

I do not smoke, mostly for economic reasons. Still miss the smell of fresh tobacco in a pipe.

By the way, we are all going to die from eating GMO also. We get all these stupid studies that contradict each other.

I DO NOT LIKE LIES....................................

Now Biblically, I will give up my right if it harms others but not me, but don’t lie to me about it.


8 posted on 08/20/2014 9:32:10 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Where is your thinking cap? The one you were issued in elementary school.)
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To: PeterPrinciple

Government is trying to get people to stop harming themselves and costing all of us money. The way to protest that is to point out that government needs to get out of our business, not to encourage people to keep harming themselves.

And what study showed low levels of smoking are beneficial????


9 posted on 08/20/2014 9:58:09 AM PDT by Go_Raiders (Freedom doesn't give you the right to take from others, no matter how innocent your program sounds.)
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To: EveningStar

since we do not know if any specific genetic factors make someone more susceptible or not to obtaining cancer from long term tobacco use (we do know some folks are and some are not) it is sound advice to discourage tobacco use

it is not a given that every tobacco user gets cancer

still, the advice to avoid it is good advice because using tobacco IS like rolling the dice, and its not worth the chance


10 posted on 08/20/2014 10:00:59 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: Ditter

I need to cut back on cigars. About 5 a week now. Wonder if that’s too many?


11 posted on 08/20/2014 10:01:58 AM PDT by roofgoat
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To: EveningStar
People not familiar with Rhode Island (where this is a *huge* story) is probably unfamiliar with what's going on with the Schilling family.In short,his video game company,which went bankrupt in a year or two,is being investigated for fraud...among other things.Seventy five million dollars of taxpayers' money (it was money loaned to Schilling by the State of Rhode Island) disappeared and while investigating that disappearance two RI state legislators,one a Rat and the other a Republican,just recently received letters threatening the safety of their family members if they pursued their investigation.

I've been following this story pretty closely for reasons I'd rather not divulge but I'd bet the clothes on my back that this story was planted to deflect attention from the SEC investigation of Schilling and others that's currently underway.

12 posted on 08/20/2014 11:29:24 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Rat Party policy;Lie,deny,refuse to comply)
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To: Ditter

My parents were both heavy smokers. In his sixties my father came down with bladder cancer. He survived by quitting smoking entirely and lived to be 93. In her sixties my mother developed a very rough throat that scared the bejeesus out of her. She quit smoking and lived twenty more years.


13 posted on 08/20/2014 12:17:52 PM PDT by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: driftless2

My parents, heavy smokers, smoked until almost the end. Mother had a severe stroke at 70 and lived as an invalid for 5 more years. High blood pressure from smoking didn’t help. My father also died at 75 of COPD (smoking) and a weak heart. Not sure when he quit if he ever did.

I have some very long lived genes on my fathers side and I am convinced that if he had not smoked he could have been like his aunt and been the oldest person in the US when he died. His aunt lived to be 115 years and 9 months.

Of course they were WW2 era people and they almost all smoked.


14 posted on 08/20/2014 12:33:07 PM PDT by Ditter
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To: EveningStar

When considering all this sort of thing, everyone loves to point the finger, but no one ever considers that such habits as smoking, drinking, and so on, relieve psychic pressures that can also end in death.


15 posted on 08/20/2014 1:27:41 PM PDT by Jack Hammer
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To: Go_Raiders

It doesn’t take long to find them:

http://opishposh.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-smoking-cigarettes/

We all know people who smoke a lot and NEVER GET CANCER. My observation was that less than half. But have you ever seen the number of how many smoke and never get cancer? Here, take a look http://lungcancer.about.com/od/Lung-Cancer-And-Smoking/f/Smokers-Lung-Cancer.htm Best guess is 1/4 of heavy smokers get cancer,

I didn’t mind when it began with the label “smoking MAY be hazardous to your health. but it didn’t stop there. IT NEVER STOPS THERE.

You find me research that smoking cause health problem, I find article saying it is a good thing. Do you notice that in ALL the medical research? Why is that?

The answer is that we are all individual and complex and the environment we encounter is individual and complex.

My Assumption starts with the govt will lie to me about everything unless I can prove they aren’t.

Hell I have read research that low amounts of radiation are beneficial for health.http://www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/articles/nuclear.html

I want the truth given out, not your suggestion. Think about your assumptions in your response. You have been conditioned

“Government is trying to get people to stop harming themselves and costing all of us money” That sounds good until you think about it. Is that what happened with all the money the govt got from the tobacoo companies? Look at results, not intentions........................


16 posted on 08/20/2014 2:19:03 PM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Where is your thinking cap? The one you were issued in elementary school.)
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To: Gay State Conservative

Who is he connected with that would threaten the lawmakers?


17 posted on 08/20/2014 2:50:26 PM PDT by Sawdring
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To: EveningStar

On October 4th I will be tobacco free for ten years. I used to chew and smoke like a fiend. I took Zyban to help me quit but that made me want to commit suicide. So right after I quit tobacco I quit taking Zyban as well. Brain chemistry is such a complex thing.


18 posted on 08/20/2014 2:54:21 PM PDT by Sawdring
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To: Ditter

I had a granny who lived to be 103, and my father lived to be 93. I plan to croak around those ages, and I have to way to go yet.


19 posted on 08/20/2014 3:04:41 PM PDT by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: PeterPrinciple

We had a young lady die from too much water after running The Boston Marathon.

.


20 posted on 08/20/2014 3:09:52 PM PDT by Mears
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