shower card

[Debbie L.]

How refreshing. An October promo that tells the truth:

tinyurl: http://tinyurl.com/yc6nwu8
On my computer, the link opens a blank webpage and a PDF downloads separately (and more slowly) with the shower card. It can be printed, folded, and cut out to resemble a shower card.
On the shower card, you'll see a link to the new "KnowBreastCancer" (http://knowbreastcancer.org/) website of NBCC, which is still a work in progress but is looking good. For October, they are doing "a myth a day" about breast cancer and it's informative.

Debbie

[alicem]

It is good to get the word out concerning Breast Cancer Myths. My only problem though is with Step #2 on this Shower Card where it says "Get Angry". It goes on to say:
"Billions of dollars are spent every year on breast cancer research, programs, treatment and care, yet we still don't have prevention and a cure. Get angry about the wasted funding that goes toward ineffective programs and meaningless research. Realize that you are only hearing part of the story when a new breakthrough is touted, or clinical studies and findinga re reported. . . "
There was a time that many thought that Dr. Slamon's research fell into the category of "wasted funding, ineffective and meaningless research". Thank goodness he and Herceptin prevailed. As a scientist, I uderstand that research goes hand in hand with trial and error. If it weren't for trying and failing at first, some successes might never have happened.

[Debbie L.]

Well actually, Alice, NBCC was an important player in the Slamon/Herceptin story - you may have read about the difference that their support made, in the book HER2, or seen it in the recent movie (jeeze, 'can't remember the name of it). I don't remember who played Fran Visco (head of NBCC), but her character was in the movie. NBCC had Dennis Slamon as a featured speaker at this year's advocacy conference. They use the Herceptin story to show an example of innovative research.

What NBCC is referring to in the "wasted money" discussion is a topic that we're hearing more and more about r/t funding of research. It's not just NBCC that is bemoaning the fact that many researchers are not stepping out of the box (like Slamon did). Because of the way most funding is set up, it's the safe bets that are most likely to get funded. The safe bets may chip away at the knowledge base but at best give very incremental new understanding. Another issue is the number of nearly-duplicate research topics that are funded, with no coordination of goals.

Although I don't really relate to getting angry either, I do appreciate that those who are in closer touch with that emotion are often the ones who do get things done, and I'm grateful that they are there - those movers and shakers.

Debbie Laxague

[caya]

Living Proof is the movie, starring the very adorable Harry Connick Jr. as Dr. Slamon. Amy Madigan played the role of Fran Visco.

all the best
caya