Posted on 09/15/2011 9:55:39 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Heather Burcham died in 2007 when she was 31. Cervical cancer killed her. She was misdiagnosed at age 26, and by the time she knew she had cancer, it was too late for effective treatment.
But she changed lives by living hers so passionately.
She was deeply religious, quick-witted, loving, with a quirky sense of humor; and she was determined to save other young women. Her passion for a cause made her a "Person of the Week" on ABC's "World News" program in 2007. Heather likely would have been shouting from the rooftops in frustration, listening to the current political debate about the HPV vaccine.
For her, the HPV vaccine was about saving lives, not politics, not campaign donations. She probably would have been heartbroken to hear Texas Gov. Rick Perry backtrack from his commitment to have girls vaccinated against cervical cancer.
Perry made her the poster child for his HPV executive decision, and spoke eloquently at her funeral. What a difference four years later as he debates the topic with other Republican candidates.
Her words to ABC News in 2007 still resonate, in light of the current debate in which this one face of the disease has been lost amid the political rhetoric.
"I don't want to have died in vain," she said. "I don't want my life to have no purpose whatsoever, and if I can help spread the word about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine, then I haven't lived in vain."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Yeah, I guess your kids aren’t worth the $112 for the shot.
You know, because not only will they never sin, their spouse will never sin, they will never get a kiss from someone who sinned, and they will never use college dorm laudry facilities.
80% of people get this virus, and we’re not all sleeping around.
Even though HPV is an important risk factor for cervical cancer, most women with this infection do not get cervical cancer. Doctors believe other factors must come into play for this cancer to start. Not all of these factors are known, but some are listed below.What causes cancer of the cervix?Other risk factors
Smoking: Women who smoke are about twice as likely to get cervical cancer as those who don't. Smoking puts many chemicals that cause cancer into the lungs. These harmful substances are carried in the bloodstream throughout the body to other organs, too. Tobacco by-products have been found in the cervical mucus of women who smoke.
Weakened immune system: HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS -- it is not the same as HPV. It can also be a risk factor for cancer of the cervix. Having HIV seems to make a woman's immune system less able to fight both HPV and early cancers. Another group of women at risk of cervical cancer are women getting drugs to suppress their immune response. This would include those being treated for an autoimmune disease or those who have had an organ transplant.
Chlamydia infection: This is a common kind of bacteria that can infect women's sex organs. It is spread during sex. A woman may not know that she is infected at all unless she is tested for chlamydia when she gets her pelvic exam. Some studies suggest that women who have a past or current infection are at greater risk for cancer of the cervix. Long-term infection can cause other serious problems, too.
Diet: What you eat can play a part as well. Diets low in fruits and vegetables are linked to an increased risk of cervical cancer. Also, women who are overweight are at a higher risk of one type of cervical cancer.
Birth control pills: Long-term use of birth control pills increases the risk of this cancer. Research suggests that the risk of cervical cancer goes up the longer a woman takes "the pill," but the risk goes back down again after she stops. You should talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of birth control pills in your case.
Having many pregnancies: Women who have had 3 or more full-term pregnancies have an increased risk of this cancer. No one really knows why this is true.
Young age at the time of first full-term pregnancy: Women who were younger than 17 years when they had their first full-term pregnancy are almost 2 times more likely to get cervical cancer later in life than women who waited to get pregnant until they were 25 years or older.
Low income: Poor women are at greater risk for cancer of the cervix. This may be because they cannot afford good health care, such as regular Pap tests.
DES (diethylstilbestrol): DES is a hormone drug that was used between 1940 and 1971 for some women who were in danger of miscarriages. The daughters of women who took this drug while they were pregnant with them have a slightly higher risk of cancer of the vagina and cervix.
Family history: Cervical cancer may run in some families. If your mother or sister had cervical cancer, your chances of getting the disease are 2 to 3 times higher than if no one in the family had it. This could be because these women are less able to fight off HPV than other women.
How is Hepatitis B spread and why do we vaccinate against it?
...and Palin “pimped” for McLame.
Point?
Sorry but your boy Obama is going down in about 14 months.
I think you better do a Google search and start doing a lot of reading.
I'll take that over your ignorant reasoning and baseless smears. If the truth is arrogant and callous, so be it.
I’m not even a Perry fan.
I just can’t stand luddites.
http://www.nccc-online.org/patient_info/vaccine.html
Number of people affected by HPV: About 20 million in the United States. 80% of women by age 50 will test postive for HPV.
New cases each year: 6.2 million
Health effects: Usually causes no symptoms, but certain strains can lead to cervical cancer and/or genital warts.
Cervical cancer data in the United States: 9,700 new U.S. cases a year. 3,700 deaths.
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Hundreds of thousands of women die worldwide every year.
I have flamed Palin plenty for that.
It is Ricky’s turn because that is who we are talking about here.
Me? Give him a pass? LOL
Not if we nominate the nanny-state corrupt clown that you're pushing for.
‘and there is zero causation that has been found in clinical trials making Gardisil directly responsible for any deaths.”
ha
You might want to change your screen name, people might take you a bit more seriously.
BTW, what are you going to do if Sarah doesn’t run?
Well, you don't have to carry health insurance, do you? You have the choice to go without it.
Also, Sarah Palin accepted federal funds to pay for Gardisil, which means you had no choice but to pay for some of those shots in Alaska.
Post something of substance and someone might do the same for you.
It's hard to find an exact number, but a certain percentage of PAP tests (up to 20%) give false negatives. Couple that with the fact that in many cases, women are no longer advised to have yearly exams, and it is easy to understand how she could have developed cancer. It's not necessarily bad medical care at fault, either--some of the false negative tests, even after review, still show negative.
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