Veterans

WORLDWIDE - “World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

11-11-11 – and this is a prayer that all wars will end. Thank you to everyone who has served in the Armed Forces, they have given tastes of freedom to those who so yearn for it.

Drugs

NATIONWIDE - No, no, this post is not nearly as scandalous as you might think from the title. It’s about cancer drugs, which are (in my opinion) far less trendy than something people might try to score in seedy alleys. Doxorubicin is a breast cancer drug that is short supply, believe it or not. Leukemia and testicular cancer also have certain injectable medications that are getting harder to find as well. I first heard a fellow patient complain about shortages while speaking in the south several months ago. 

Sad to say, I kind of dismissed the comment. Well, maybe it was just her local cancer center, you know?  Had to be a fluke, some sort of local issue. Then I went to New York to speak; same thing. Then to Kansas; another identical story. By the time someone attending at event in Iowa (she was from Oklahoma) shared the same news, I was in a full state of alarm. 

From a USNews article:

“Dr. Richard Schilsky, past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, said "this is very serious, particularly the shortage of cancer drugs." Schilsky noted: "Patients are being called everyday by their oncologist being told that they have to delay their treatment because the drug isn't available ... We have had to set priority lists of which patients are going to get treatment, because we don't always have an adequate drug supply. And it varies week-to-week; sometimes day-to-day."

The question as to why this is happening, or how it is even possible, is a subject of raging debate in the world of social media. I’m not here to speculate about the financial repercussions of manufacturers or government intervention, but I do find this topic worth discussion. Please let me know what you think, and if you are experiencing these issues where you are. The more we all learn and share, the better we can all become!

Related articles:

Cancer Drug Shortages Getting Worse FDA Says, USNews

Will Obama's executive order alleviate drug shortages?, NPR

The Bush-Obama Rx Shortages, WSJ

Unique

HOUSTON, TEXAS -  You might not know this, but African-American woman have a higher mortality rate than most other groups. It’s a puzzling and distressing mystery, and one that researchers are struggling to solve. Thankfully, Karen Eubanks Jackson, Founder of Sisters Network Inc.,  has stepped into the role of support leader. Our friends Hope For Women magazine have introduced us to her in this month’s issue, and we are so thankful for that wonderful article. You can never stop learning, especially when it comes to something as baffling as this topic.

She is an 18-year-breast cancer survivor, and has started her work on the best basis there is — 

she just wants to help others. What a delight!