Thursday, 05 November 2009
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Who Needs More Help: People with Cancer or AIDS?
When discussing breast cancer awareness month with a few of my friends, one mentioned that she thought AIDS was a more serious issue than cancer. Although I don't think she was speaking directly of symptoms, but rather she was addressing the actual amount of people affected and the severity of the symptoms.
While I can't say that I agree or disagree with her, it did make me think for a little while. In my eyes, I think they're equally as terrible and they both need as much support, research and funding as possible. However, another friend did refute her argument.
Basically, here were their arguments:
Cancer is worse because...:
- It can be fatal as there is no cure.
- Treatment - like chemotherapy - is often times painful and causes more stress, while AIDS victims have a cocktail of pills to take instead.
- Even when cancer patients think they are cancer-free, they often are sent back to the hospital and rediagnosed with cancer.
- Contracting cancer is rarely a choice, as it is often genetic and is not a sexually transmitted disease.
- One-third of people will get cancer, and one-fourth of the population will die from cancer. (Fact supported by the Global Healing Center.)
AIDS is worse because...:
- It can also be fatal since there is no cure.
- AIDS victims usually only have pills as treatments, but their symptoms may actually be worse.
- There is no hope for AIDS victims as it could never be sent "into remission."
- Some people with AIDS contract it unknowingly, and especially in the cases for mother-to-child transmissions. Also, people can get cancer through drinking, smoking, etc.
- People may be living with HIV/AIDS for months or years and never even know since the symptoms do not appear immediately. (Fact supported by UNAIDS.)
What do you think? Do you think one disease deserves more research and funding for finding a cure over the other? Have you ever known someone to have cancer or HIV/AIDS?
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- From: msenergydrink
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Comments (56)
I don't understand how people can try and put one illness before another... both can be terminal... why should one be decided as more important? Ridiculous.
Ummm i say both should be equal and have the same funding and research. I do know someone that does have cancer and its my bestfriends mom and she has to go to chemotherapy every single day. I dont talk to her mom but i ask about her mom and she tells me whats been up with her momz and how she has been doing, the chemo does make her mother very sick and she take high blood pressure pills, pain medication and some other meds but thats all i really know about her.
@haloed@xanga - agreed. i don't think you can really compare the two. both deserve attention as does many other types of diseases. i understand there is only so much funding out there but you can't ask to put one before the other!
@lot223@xanga - I know right? That's like saying people with one disease are more important than people with the other!!! Everyone is equal!
this question is pretty jacked up...
Really? I mean, really?
They're both awful diseases. Who cares?
I'm sick with ITP, and I don't sit here comparing it to those who have less harsh diseases.
I mean, disease isn't a game for christ's sake...
What the fuck kind of question is this?! Lately the "ish" sites have been posting stupid or down right rude posts & now you guys are jumping on that bandwagon?!
@Shinbi_Belldandy@xanga - your new profile pic is so cute!
I really don't think any of us are in a position to judge or determine whether one is worse. You may never know, or you may know one day. Whatever the case when you have any problem with your body it becomes one of the hardest hit/felt things in the world - which is what makes it all the worse.
Cancer > AIDS because cancer affects more people
AIDS > Cancer because it's communicable and could potentially affect more people. (even thought it currently doesn't)
So....what do we decide....if cancer > aids > cancer then cancer = aids
I don't think it's far to put one before the other - both are equally bad.
I do have first-hand experience with cancer, though. At least I do as far as seeing chemo treatments, doctor visits, and the end result. My mom was diagnosed around Christmas in 04, She died in mid-Jan of 06. She worked for the USPS as a letter carrier and hurt her shoulder closing the truck door, so she went to the doc for an x-ray. They called her back that day and said she needed to come in; They found traces of cancer on her lung (showed on the Xray).
She never smoked, drank, or anything like that so she didn't "bring it on herself". No one in her family has ever had it, either. That's why for the life of me I just DON'T UNDERSTAND why people smoke when it can cause cancer - and you don't even have to do it to get it. Why do they want to increase their chances?! It's beyond me.
I've seen what chemo treatments are like, how the patient feels after, how stressful it is, etc. It's just not fair.
However, I'm not putting that above AIDS, because they're both fatal. But it's easier for me to understand that which is involved with cancer.
I don't think the writer of this post was really asking which is worse (in fact they even said, "In my eyes, they are equally as terrible"). I think she was just making a comparison between the two. I've heard this sort of thing a lot, especially since I've started attending a university (AIDS awareness is a huge thing on my campus). The question is asked a lot, but it's generally to start a discussion in comparing the two. It generally comes down to an agreement that, like most of you have stated, we aren't in a position to judge which is worse, and both are terrible.
We're comparing two really horrible diseases to see which patients deserve more help? Really?
Both deserve attention because they're both dangerous and devastating. There is no "which one is worse". One group of patients doesn't deserve to have a better chance at life than another. That's not what the field of medicine is about and this is a horrible question.
I agree with Titanic_Spaz, mostly. Cancer definitely affects more people and is much better at killing people, but what was overlooked is that cancer can also be spread, in a sense. HPV, a viral STD, causes cervical cancer. In fact, almost 100% of all cervical cancer cases are caused by this virus and not by the natural aging processes of cells or anything else. However, AIDS can make you more susceptible to numerous cancers because it impairs your immune system.
Regardless, there are tons of reasons why there's more funding and hype for cancer as opposed to AIDS. Doesn't make it right, but society and scientists will always try and research/eliminate top threats that more often than not kill quickly before threats that take time to do anything at all.
Megan
I think cancer research deserves more funding because it affects more people. A lot of AIDS cases are preventable by education on how to use condoms, how to not share needles (or just don't do drugs), etc. But cancer can be a natural thing. We grow cancerous cells every day, it's just that most of the time, our immune system can handle killing off the one or two random cancerous cells. It's when they aren't stopped that's the problem. Cancer can happen to absolutely ANYONE. I don't even know anyone with AIDS, and I know at least four people with cancer, three of whom have died because of it.
This is dumb. Give it the funding it needs to come up with a cure. If it's less for one of them it doesn't necessarily make that one "less important," it just means that you need less funding to do what you want to do. This post is based on a profound misunderstanding on how funding works.
This is THE most stupid question i think i have ever heard... Why would someone think of this? Why do either of them require 'more help'
They both mean that alot of people are suffering and alot of people are dying. I think this is stupid.
Sorry
@Liquid_Pain_523@xanga - Amen to that.
@Shinbi_Belldandy@xanga - my god I so agree. The sponsored sites have been posting misinformed posts, and I find the lack of research before publishing a post appalling.
i would like a little help. hahahaha.
@bladegurl@xanga - I dont think it's a lack of research, it's a lack of tact & common sense! I mean who in their right mind would go around asking this question or let the datingish site put up offensive posts lately. These sites used to be fun & informative & now they're becoming gossipy & trashy.
To put up a post about 2 life destroying diseases & ask who needs help more was stupid, inconsiderate & hurtful. You cant ask someone to choose something like that, BOTH are horrible & BOTH need help. I cant believe healthkicker had the balls to even approve this.
@MissPixieGlitter@xanga - Thank you very much! ^^ It was taken on Halloween.
This is ridiculous. It's not like anyone chose to have either of these diseases, everyone affected by either disease needs help.
Why the hell are you comparing apples to oranges? And what's the point?
Why is everyone getting so mad because this was posted? The OP herself stated she believes they are equally bad. She was just informing us of something.
@Shinbi_Belldandy@xanga - I was talking about posts like the baby being denied health care, where important facts were omitted and prevented people from forming a valid opinion of the situation.
This one, however, I agree is downright tactless.