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 ...
Well, I can't help out someone who wants to stay ignorant.
HPV is the primary CAUSE of cervical cancer. The "risk factor" would be behavior that leads to HPV, but there is a causal relationship that has been medically proven between HPV and cervical cancer. So, I'm still not sure why you posted that lengthy cut/paste to me.
Hey! That's your hero of a candidate's record you're talking about there. I hear that he hates cancer so much that he didn't cash Merck's check until after he signed the order. He's so dreamy...
I doubt you even know the meaning of the term but you're the fool claiming HPV gets spread through causal contact with laundry.
Not just that males have some risk (probably smaller than females), but if the point is to eradicate the virus, then it is essential to vaccinate the males half of the population, as they carry the virus. It would be essential to vaccinate the males even if there was ZERO risk to males from HPV infection.
Not that I'm advocating the vaccine, just pointing out that if one adopts the objective of eradicating HPV, then the vaccine must be mandatory for "everybody."
Same when a vaccine is developed for AIDS.
“10 deaths related to” doesn’t mean 10 deaths from.
Advair, a common asthma medication, actually has a black box death warning on its FDA label. Gardisil does not to this day. I don’t expect you to know what that means, though.
The armchair MDs on this board are amusing, and the funny thing is you all seem to be Palin supporters.
He is asking how she got the cancer? There are 15 tpyes of HPV that can cause cancer Gardasil protects against 4.
Come on Carling. That is very nasty thing to say to someone.
That is no excuse.
If a woman had told Bachmann that Gardisil caused her daughter to spontaneously explode, would you have excused her for repeating the claim? Repeating lies and misinformation does not absolve you of responsibility simply because you're repeating something you heard.
I'll grant you that Bachmann may very well be just extremely ignorant, but that doesn't give you absolution to run around and repeat every asinine claim that you hear.
Bachmann should be ashamed of herself.
Indeed.
You weren’t watching. Bachmann DID attack Romney on Romney care. Watch it again or stop lying.
Political cult of personality based campaigns are every bit as weird and creepy when made up of "Conservatives" as they are when made up of Progressives.
Wrong again, I’ll vote for Sarah first if she announces.
I just don’t like insufferable, negative, sniping curmudgeons.
Gardisil doesn’t have a black box warning because it wouldn’t be PC to add one.
By the way, I don’t think you know what the term ‘luddite’ means. You should look it up.
Guess i missed 4000 girls dead from the vaccination
You are correct. 47 states do require at some point the vaccination against HepB as a condition of enrollment. Hepatitis B Exposure:
” * Hepatitis B virus is spread by coming into contact with blood, semen, and vaginal secretions
* It can spread from the mother to her child during birth
* Common causes of transmission include: unprotected sexual contact, sharing needles among injection drug users, re-use of contaminated needles and syringes
* Sharing of razor blades or toothbrushes can also transmit hepatitis B
* Blood transfusion is rarely a risk factor for transmission in the USA and Canada since it is routinely screened for hepatitis B
* It is NOT spread through water, food, hugging, kissing, and casual contact such as in schools or the workplace”
No other state versus Texas has made HPV vaccine (or any other Vaccine Mandatory) through Executive Order. It has been a Legislative Process - which is as it should be.
Well if Perry were a conservative then I could back him. Giving bennies to illegal aliens and big government programs don’t give me conservative views. Oh and he took Obama’s stimulous to balance the state budget. Now he is saying the stimulous was wrong.........
Gardisil vaccinates against the 4 HPV strains that cause ~70% of all cases of cervical cancer. That’s not my claim, that’s an FDA approved claim validated via multiple medical trials.
It’s not a perfect vaccine, but the ignorance on this board surrounding it is embarrassing to me as a FReeper. I can understand bashing Perry for his EO, but this misinformation about Gardisil, which I assume is to further smear Perry, is mind-boggling to me.
Thanks for telling me what I should think. It means a lot, coming from you.
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