BOHDI IS ZEN!!!!
Posted on 07/26/2009 5:06:14 PM PDT by libh8er
For sufferers of pancreatic cancer there is often little hope. With 7,600 diagnoses each year - three per cent of all cancer cases - it is the UK's fifth most common cause of cancer death.
Prognosis is usually poor: only about 13 per cent survive longer than a year after diagnosis, and only three per cent beyond five years.
When Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early 2008, many predicted he would not survive 12 months. Shocking pictures taken in April showed the former Hollywood heart-throb looking frail and gaunt, prompting fears he was dying.
So when he was seen last week looking healthier, it seemed astonishing. In fact, his recovery is due to recent advances in radiotherapy-surgery and chemotherapy that give patients a better chance of surviving longer, and some even a hope of being cured.
Another sufferer who benefited from the new techniques is Yvonne Sheppard, 56. She was given just months to live - but is now clear of cancer thanks to a radical new form of chemotherapy.
Radiotherapy uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. Although healthy cells can also be damaged, they usually repair themselves-Radiotherapy can cure some cancers and reduce the chance of a cancer coming back.
Swayze, also 56, has reportedly been undergoing a new form of radiotherapy treatment called CyberKnife. It uses a robotic arm to deliver multiple beams to hard-to-reach tumours from various angles so they can be targeted more accurately. As a result, tumours that were considered inoperable or too complex for surgery can now be treated.
Last week, pancreatic cancer patient Robert Ferrant, 62, became one of the first in the UK to undergo the procedure.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
He might have an exceptionally-strong will to live, too. It happened with Lance Armstrong, Magic Johnson, and no doubt countless not-so-famous people.
WOLVERINES!!
Under Obamacare, they would have halted treatment and written him off long ago as wasteful expenditure to the state.
I’m sure Mr. Swayze has his own financial resources to pay for these radical new treatments. This is the basic problem with ObamaCare. Such treatment would be denied to the rest of us; only those with the means to pay for it could get this treatment.
I’m not angry or jealous or anything like that. Certainly, if Mr. Swayze has the means to do so, he should pursue whatever avenues are out there to effect a possible cure. I’m just saying that ObamaCare will greatly reduce what treatments are available for the rest of us. If you subscribe to the liberal notion that treatment is uneven among races and classes — wait till you see what it will be like under socialized medicine.
Whenever I’m feeling down about how the country is going I grab a sixpack and pop in Red Dawn. Last night as a matter of fact.
Ever see Boondock Saints? Has a similar theme to Red Dawn imo, lots of profanity in it though.
I agree with your post, however, I’ve heard that doctors won’t be allowed to accept private funds for their services under zero care. It’s the zero plan or nothing. This is the scariest part of it for me.
Even those with means might not be allowed to pay for extraordinary treatment. I seem to recall that HillaryCare would have outlawed medical treatment outside the system. A physician could be fined and imprisoned for accepting money for services that were not approved by the government.
ObamaCare may not include such a provision initially. However, as Scott Gottleib wrote in the 12 May 2009 Wall Street Journal,
Some doctors will opt out of the system entirely, going "cash only." If too many doctors take this route the government could step in -- as in Canada, for example -- to effectively outlaw private-only medical practice.
Of course, those who can afford to leave the country for treatment may be able to do so. And those who are politically well-connected will undoubtedly receive services that are denied to the rest of us.
Good news for Patrick. I think he is a good guy and I pray for a cure for him.
Thanks, I’ll check it out. I used to date a girl who was in the Navy so the profanity thing is no problem.
Under Obamacare, such patients would have to go to places such as Singapore or India for treatment.
This here is the interesting quote. LAST WEEK was the first time the procedure was performed in the UK. Socialized medicine in the UK is not leading the way. Wonder who is?
“Cyberknife” was invented by a Stanford Prof. There are 100 locationed in the US. Swayze was treated with the tool in 2008.
The UK has one machine, got it in February of this year.
Thank you socialized medicine.
The da Vinci Surgical System, the robotic surgical device pictured on last week’s US News was also developed at Stanford (USA.) Interestingly, two of their biggest opportunities for growth are India and China. The Brits, Canadians, and the rest of the socialist world may never get these remarkable machines, and will let their citizens continue to be cut on using inferior surgical techniques.
Thanks for the best laugh I have had all weekend!
;-)>
That quote is the one that grabbed my attention. I live in Bakersfield, Ca.....not exactly the epicenter of technological breakthroughs. We do have a great cancer center here and they opened their CyberKnife 6 mnths ago.
Thank you both for setting me straight re: use of private funds to receive medical care.
Wow! This dang thing is sounding worse by the minute. I too am afraid, very afraid.
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