Cancer patients here in America often feel like they're being left behind because they can't access treatments that are considered standard across much of Europe.
Back before 2004, expensive medications were funded directly through hospital budgets. This meant if you ended up at a "poorer" facility, you were essentially out of luck.
Since then, a specific fund was established within Medicare. A few months ago, Secretary Darko Milinović managed to cut through some of the red tape, so if a drug is on the approved list, you can get it in about ten days. 😕
However, other high-cost drugs are still supposed to be covered by those limited hospital budgets. In reality, even when specialists recommend them, hospital boards almost always reject the requests simply because the price tags are too high.
Beyond the traditional routes—surgery, radiation, and chemo—we've been seeing the introduction of so-called 'smart drugs' over the last decade.
Even though Avastin is well-tolerated and shows incredible results for women fighting breast cancer, it’s still not on the Medicare list, meaning patients have to foot the bill themselves.
Today, while I was at the Oncology Department, my doctor told me that this summer, we—the survivors—will be presented with a petition. We’re going to ask Secretary Darko Milinović to finally add Avastin to the Medicare coverage list for 2009.
I walked away feeling confused, bitter, and just plain heartbroken. Seriously, what kind of place is this?😲
No matter what I did for the rest of the day, I couldn't shake that conversation with my doctor. A petition for medicine!? For actual health care?
I don't mean to cause a stir, but I'm certain there are plenty of us here who would gladly put our names down for something like this... How many of us are there?😕
Excerpt from an interview: We will never truly eliminate cancer. It will always be a part of life because cancer is essentially our own cells spinning out of control. The best we can do is recognize our limitations and leverage our strengths in the fight against tumors. Fighting cancer is a marathon, not a sprint. Our success depends entirely on collaboration between scientists, clinicians, the public, and individual patients.
Yeah, they totally forgot to mention that there’s going to be swimming in the Mississippi River and a sobriety rally around 10 AM. Once again I didn't bring my trunks. 😁
Regarding the fundraiser—come on people, let's get moving. Start collecting donations, sell some t-shirts, whatever it takes; even in El Paso, there will be ways to raise funds. Don't show up empty-handed, no matter how much you think you can afford. We need to pool as much cash as possible!
Hi everyone, I’m new here and really wanted to reach out and share my journey with this incredibly widespread disease with all of you.
A little over two and a half years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in my right breast. They moved quickly and performed a mastectomy right away. The pathology showed it was malignant and hormone-driven, so naturally, chemotherapy was the next step. I started with four rounds of AC, which honestly made me feel absolutely terrible. After that, I switched to Taxol; interestingly, that didn't make me feel sick in the usual way, but it triggered such bad allergic reactions that I could only finish three out of the four scheduled doses. My hair would fall out every fifteen days following each treatment. Since I live in San Diego, I had to travel down to Miami for radiation therapy. That whole process lasted about a month and a half. Once radiation was wrapped up, I started hormone therapy, which I’ll be on for another year and a half. This involves taking a pill (Femara) every single day and getting an injection (Zoladex) every 28 days. Because of the treatment, I haven't had a period in almost two years. I would love to hear from anyone who has already been through this or is currently navigating the same path!
cosmiccanyon5 said:Look, if you guys want to fight, just take it to the DMs. Stop derailing the thread for no reason. Snake, it’s pretty obvious you don't have anything better to do, and Jane Doe, I didn't realize you were such an easy target for trolls.
Jack, they have the same owners... my aunt said she’ll get back to me once the rush of prepping and opening settles down so we can iron out the pizza details... I’m going to try to hammer this out before things get too crazy. She also mentioned that we could totally just bring our own booze since if they serve it, they’re going to charge us hotel prices. That seems pretty standard to me, but it's awesome that they're being flexible so we can save some cash 😉 If the art route doesn't work out, I'll probably just go with something completely local... maybe Studio In or Solis 🤔
Look, we can all browse pictures on a website all day... but tell me this: do you guys actually do custom invitations? Like, can we design our own from scratch, or are we strictly limited to what's in your catalog?
So, here’s the plan we’ve settled on... Since the President in Solon hasn't officially opened yet, we're expecting things to kick off within the next few days, and honestly, who knows if my partner and I will even be able to coordinate our schedules enough to make it out there... But we figured the venue can't be too bad, considering it's a 5-star hotel and we basically booked it on a whim... 🤷 As for the church... we'll head across the little bridge to the Lady of the Island. We have to wait until October for them to release next year's calendar... 🙄 but it shouldn't be an issue... 🙂 We're still debating the band... but most likely we'll go with 100's if they're free. That'll probably be around August when we arrive. And for photography... a friend recommended an art studio in New York City because they work together often and swear they're the best in the country 🤷 otherwise, we'll keep looking...
To be honest, I just have way too much downtime right now, so I'm getting bored and decided to bug you guys a little... 🙂
I'm currently in New York City and I'm not very familiar with the venues in San Francisco. I was hoping someone could give me a little help finding a hall for a party. I'm looking for a space that can accommodate roughly 320 to 400 people.
I really appreciate any information or recommendations you might have.
Depends on when you need it... if you're looking for that capacity, the Westin might have something that fits your needs... ☕
Henry Lopez14 said:Not really, but when I say mental disorder, I mean something I can't just switch off. It's more like I was just born this way and it isn't really within my control to change it, I guess.
Are you talking about fate? 🤔
Look, obviously there are things we can't change. Like, if you grow up in a broken home or if you just don't fit the standard look, those factors make it way more likely that you'll end up in that "other" group. That's just how life works, and honestly, it's totally natural for things to go that way under those circumstances. Emotions play a massive role in this—maybe even the biggest one. But it's not like you're strictly forbidden from fighting those feelings to try and break into the first group. The real kicker is just how hard it is to ignore what you're feeling deep down. Especially since we're all out here just trying to chase the things that actually make us feel whole. 🙂
Homework assignment... leave some thoughts on The Glass Lady. Also, does anyone happen to know what the price tag is? Since my only source of info is the web... everything I've seen so far looks pretty good to me... My only gripe is the singer's voice—I managed to catch a snippet of her 🤔
Don't panic. You aren't getting married until the following month; finding a venue, a DJ, and a photographer will be easy. The real nightmare is summer—you basically have to have everything locked down a year in advance if you want a summer wedding. I actually got married last Sunday, though it wasn't a traditional reception. I managed to pull everything together in a single day, but honestly, that was only because I had some serious connections to call in. I sorted the dress, the bouquet, and the rings all at once, and it was a Sunday.
Bottom line: get a great band, a solid photographer, and good people. Everything else is just noise.
Even MBM is saying this. It’s like Reka said—he doesn't care if they aren't the best musicians on the planet, as long as they actually know how to set the right mood... ☕ I'm trying to go shopping... I've been getting ready for two hours and I'm still not moving. There's no way I'm leaving the house before noon. 😲 👋
Wandic, first off, huge congrats... you’re officially part of the club now, mama-to-be! 😍 I'm actually heading out to see my mom right now and I'll be back in my seventh month... I'll hit you up then so we can grab coffee or something in person... thanks for keeping me in the loop.
Or hey, just send over all the details so we can figure it out... feel free to DM me. Honestly, I'm low-key freaking out... I feel like I should have already booked the DJ and the photographer, and I'm worried by the time I'm back, everything will be fully booked. That's why I'm just sitting here totally overwhelmed, not knowing what to think or even where to start... 🙄
Were they praising them because they sound great live, or just because they make a killer impression? I actually first heard about them (and all the other 🤣) on a forum, and then my friend kept bringing them up too... I’ve been stuck on the idea of checking them out, even though I honestly have no clue if they're even my style 🤷
Seriously though, girls, I’m going to hunt down the numbers for all those trios and bands via DM. Once I'm back in town this weekend, I'll start calling everyone to see who's available and what the booking rates look like 😁