Herman Cain PING! "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
FReepMail me if you would like On/Off the HERMAN CAIN PING!
Posted on 04/19/2007 12:12:16 PM PDT by K-oneTexas
Fred Thompson's Revelation: Cancer Is Not a Death Sentence
By Herman Cain
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Former Senator Fred Thompson's recent disclosure that he has a form of cancer called lymphoma has people wondering if he should still run for president. The answer is yes for at least three reasons: 1) His cancer is non aggressive and has been in remission for over two years; 2) He could be the next leader we need for this country; and 3) Cancer is not a death sentence.
Several high profile personalities have highlighted the media's misperceptions of cancer, and as a result, the public's misperceptions of cancer and those who are fighting the disease. It's like a twelve round fight where some people die of natural causes before cancer kills them. Some people have cancer knocked to the mat in remission, daring it to get back up. And still others are able to defeat cancer in an early round and then dare it to show up again.
When I was diagnosed with cancer in March 2006, like most people I got on a fast-track learning curve. Until it happens to you or a close family member, you are not aware of the medical advances that have been made in recent years to treat the various forms of cancer, or current success rates. In fact, cancer deaths decreased 8 percent between 2000 and 2004, continuing a trend that began in 1990.
I was blessed with an everyday garden variety of cancer, as one of my doctors described it, which had spread from my colon to my liver. In my case, 60 percent of the people are long-term survivors and go the distance before something else catches up with them. Thirty percent of those diagnosed early enough win an early round knockout and go back to being cancer free. By the grace of God, I’m cancer-free again!
Every fight with cancer is different, because cancers are different, treatment options are different and people's general health conditions are different. Most importantly, people's attitudes are different. Like most endeavors, attitude determines whether you win or lose, or how long you stay in the fight.
You don't stop living your life because you become a cancer fighter, as Tony Snow, Elizabeth Edwards and many others have shown. You live and fight, just as many people from all walks of life fight other life-threatening diseases every day. You learn that faith is stronger than fear, and that purpose energizes your outlook.
Tony Snow has provided a great service to the Bush administration and his country while fighting cancer. If Fred Thompson decides to run for president with an energized purpose, he should be considered no differently than any of the other presidential candidates. Namely, he should be considered on the basis of his merits as a leader.
Two of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, were assassinated while in office. Both men distinguished themselves by bringing this nation together at two of our most critical times, and their impact will last indefinitely.
The cancers that voters should be most concerned about are not the ones that invade our bodies, but the ones that have invaded our nation. Political divisiveness and disingenuous politicians are unnecessarily dividing us. Political agendas are being pursued above national security and our government's fiscal health. At the same time, we are fighting a global war against Islamic fascists that is unlike any other war in our history.
If advances in our political leadership had kept pace with medical advances in the treatment of cancer, we would not be faced with so many unsolved problems that continue to threaten our economic and social well-being. Maybe it will take a president who has endured the fight with cancer to have the courage and fortitude to truly lead this nation against the cancers that threaten our long-term survival.
Until we have that energized and inspired leader in the White House, fiscal and social cancers could become this nation's death sentence.
Herman Cain is the National Chairman of the Media Research Center’s Business & Media Institute. He is the former president and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, Inc., and currently is CEO and president of T.H.E. New Voice, Inc., a business and leadership consulting company.
Copyright © 2006 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.
Herman Cain PING! A former neighbor was diagnosed with cancer years ago. At the time, doctors gave her little chance of surviving a year. She was bound and determined to see her children graduate from high school. Her children were still quite young and not even close to graduation, but this is all she wanted — to see them graduate.
She not only lived through their high school graduations, but their college graduations, weddings, births of their grandchildren, and this year, one of her grandchildren is graduating from high school. She retired from her career a few years ago and now works on occasion, travels, watches the smaller grandchildren and generally lives a normal, active life.
No, a cancer diagnosis does not necessarily mean a death sentence.
If I were Fred Thompson, I would continue to enjoy life and decline to run for President. If you look back on the last 50 years with perhaps the exception of the Reagan years (and some of those were pretty rough), why would anyone want to run for and/or be President? It doesn’t pay well. You’re constantly living in a glass house. The press hounds you like a pack of wolves. If you ask me, it’s a stinking job. I’s rather serve the country in a non public way like my son who is a Captain in Special Forces.
My father in law was diagnosed with lymphoma and given 7 years. That was 15 years ago.
Being a Cancer survivor gives him insight into the healthcare system, the insurance system, and the nature of illness and living.
Hard to imagine Sen. Clinton or anyone else attempting to take on a serious healthcare discussion with a true cancer survivor. You don’t know diddly until you’ve been through the system. Studying “outcomes” data doesn’t mean anything compared to having your own life on the line.
Thanks K-one, excellent from Herman as usual!
Fred Ping!
If advances in our political leadership had kept pace with medical advances in the treatment of cancer, we would not be faced with so many unsolved problems that continue to threaten our economic and social well-being. Maybe it will take a president who has endured the fight with cancer to have the courage and fortitude to truly lead this nation against the cancers that threaten our long-term survival.
Until we have that energized and inspired leader in the White House, fiscal and social cancers could become this nation's death sentence.
Sorry about the multiple pings this morning...I'm just catching up with all the buzz...
If you'd like to be a FRedHead let me or Howlin know.
CAUTION: This is a very high volume ping list. You may receive between 5 and 10 pings a day. If you'd rather not receive so many pings, let me know and I'll only ping you once a week.
Thanks much jellybean.
H O N K
Well to each his own. But my hat is off to Fred for considering a run despite his diagnosis. We can’t always pick and chose when our time to step up to the plate is.
If this is Thompson’s time, I’m grateful he’s willing to accept the summons.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.