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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Cancer / January 2006Working on Testimony - CO Non-Smoking Bill...
I am scheduled to testify before the Colorado Legislature Monday afternoon in favor of passing a state-wide non-smoking law. There is tremendous support for this law, including from the restaurant association. Still, it is not a sure thing & the governor could veto. Socks may testify also, via videotape. Last year, he testified in person (sob). He was so sick from treatment, it was snowy, his car was in shop, but he somehow got downtown - walked to bus stop. That's how much he cared about this. Bill supporters last year were unwilling to pass a compromised bill. This year, we are more organized & the bill is on the fast track. Someone recently posted the ?: are there more people with cancer today than in the recent past, or does it just seem like it? Of course, I know more people with cancer from this ng, but it also seems whenever I go out to lunch or socializing, the subject of cancer with someone's recent dx/death comes up. Is it just my age or my heightened awareness? Are younger people being dx'd with lung & other smoking-related cancers than before (Socks dx @ 49)? If any of that is true, does anyone have a succunct quote from a credible source that I could use? There are lots of stats out there...what to use? I plan to mention our visit to one of our most celebrated steak restaurants last Spring. We were paraded through the smoking bar, patrons lined up on both sides of the aisle puffing away as we snaked through - Socks with his liquid oxygen - to our non-smoking table. I like that as it is both relevant & personal. And true. I appreciate any help. I want to do well for Socks. This is his dream, his legacy. Thank you, Fig > I am scheduled to testify before the Colorado Legislature Monday afternoon > in favor of passing a state-wide non-smoking law. There is tremendous [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > Thank you, > Fig Good for you Fig and I am sure that Socks would be proud of you. Warm Hugs (and keep another for watching Socks on video) Alayne > Someone recently posted the ?: are there more people with cancer today than > in the recent past, or does it just seem like it? Of course, I know more [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > from a credible source that I could use? There are lots of stats out > there...what to use? Fig, type in cancer statistics into Google. You'll get the ACS website, the NCI website and seer website This seems to be a summary of a report out of NCI http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1436207 Hope this helps, Hugs J [posted and mailed] > Fig, > type in cancer statistics into Google. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Hugs > J Thanks, J & Alayne, This is what I want. I had typed similar yesterday & got quite an array. Want to make sure if I use data that it's from a respected source. Thought ACS was OK. Haven't heard of seeer but will check out. Last night was tough. I went to our Sierra Club's Chapter's Website to grab some info. Charlie's pic was there as usual, but instead of usual caption 'The Rocky Mountain Chapter is Mourning the loss..., it was changed to "We miss you Charlie." Don't know why, but that set me off. Still bawling this morning. Part of me wishes I could stay home & wallow, but most of me knows I'm better off being with people at work. Like I have a choice anyway <g>! Alayne, I used up the video hug on this. Thanks for replenishing, J. If we use the video, I'd best not watch if I am to follow. I haven't seen the video. Maybe I should ask for an advance copy to screen in private. I better get out of here before I dissolve. Thank you both, Hugs back, Fig > [posted and mailed] > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > Fig I think getting a copy and watching it before hand would be a good idea. Lot of hugs Fig!! Penny > [posted and mailed] > [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Fig Hi Fig Sounds like I need to give you some more Hugs to keep in your pocket if you are going to watch the video on your own. We've got a video here that was taken in the hospice of us four talking about cancer, it was used as part of a project to raise cancer awareness. It took me several months to sit and watch and boy did I blub. On the positive side (if there can be one) it brought home just how ill Tony was and that it must have been a blessing for him to pass on. Warm Hugs Alayne >> [posted and mailed] >> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >> usual caption 'The Rocky Mountain Chapter is Mourning the loss..., it >> was changed to "We miss you Charlie." Don't know why, but that set > Hi Fig > > Sounds like I need to give you some more Hugs to keep in your pocket > if you are going to watch the video on your own. Alayne, I could sure use some hugs for the pocket. I'm going to wait until I have company (probably tomorrow night) to watch. I haven't seen the TV since before Socks' death - probably in AR's room - but I'll just let that remain a mystery for now. We've got a video > here that was taken in the hospice of us four talking about cancer, it > was used as part of a project to raise cancer awareness. It took me > several months to sit and watch and boy did I blub. On the positive > side (if there can be one) it brought home just how ill Tony was and > that it must have been a blessing for him to pass on. Yes, I expect this to bring home the severity of the illness & provide some comfort that way, like you say. But it's also difficult to see him that way. I'm enlarging one of his final days photos for the hearing. It's harder to look at a big photo like that than the smaller image. > Warm Hugs > > Alayne And more back to you, Fig > >> [posted and mailed] > >> [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > And more back to you, > Fig I read something interesting in a book only yesterday, the book is called "The Secret of Happy Children" (well, I'll try anything once!) but it mentions grief and sadness. "To cry sometimes is as necessary and as natural as breathing, Far from making you strong, not crying actually makes you uptight, you tend to live in the past and be hard to contact in the present. If you know how to cry and release sadness, you know you can handle anything. It was discovered only this decade that when a person cries their body releases chemicals of the endorphin family which block pain receptors, and produce a healing anaesthesia through the worst of the anguish that loss sometimes brings. This chemical is present even in our tears themselves. It's as closely related to, and as powerful as morphine." So it really is good and cleansing and might explain why tears erupt from nowhere when we haven't cried for a while. When watching the video makes you really sad Fig, know that it is part of the process and a healthy sign that you still miss your man. Warm Hugs Alayne me@privacy.net said... > I could sure use some hugs for the pocket. I'm going to wait until I > have company (probably tomorrow night) to watch. I haven't seen the TV > since before Socks' death - probably in AR's room - but I'll just let > that remain a mystery for now. Here, you'd better have a few more to go with them {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Fig}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}  SignatureEmily me@privacy.net said... > I plan to mention our visit to one of our most celebrated steak restaurants > last Spring. We were paraded through the smoking bar, patrons lined up on > both sides of the aisle puffing away as we snaked through - Socks with his > liquid oxygen - to our non-smoking table. I like that as it is both > relevant & personal. And true. And emotive. That'll go in your favour, even though it's a depressing picture and presumably not a particularly good memory. > I appreciate any help. I want to do well for Socks. This is his dream, > his legacy. You might want to watch the video a couple of times on your own over the weekend, so that you don't get a shock when you see it in public. {{{{Hugs}}}} for you from C and me; also from my elder daughter. Oh, and from my nearly 11 yr old as well - he's just taken part in a local anti-drugs and alcohol initiative, which focussed heavily on 'ordinary' smoking as well as the more 'interesting' types of weed. SignatureEmily > And emotive. That'll go in your favour, even though it's a depressing > picture and presumably not a particularly good memory. We didn't let that spoil our meal, but we never returned either. > You might want to watch the video a couple of times on your own over > the weekend, so that you don't get a shock when you see it in public. I pick it up tomorrow. Will wait until a friend gets back from ski trip to watch it with me. > {{{{Hugs}}}} for you from C and me; also from my elder daughter. Oh, > and from my nearly 11 yr old as well - he's just taken part in a local > anti-drugs and alcohol initiative, which focussed heavily on > 'ordinary' smoking as well as the more 'interesting' types of weed. Do they make a pledge? They're doing that here with sex too. When I was 10/11, I didn't no nuttin about nuttin. Weeds - we pulled them in the garden! I'm happy your son is participating in the initiative. It must be tough growing up today. Today was tough all over, for several reasons, so thanks for all the hugs. Fig Since you are testifying at the state level, stats from the state would be the most critical ones. http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/pp/cccr/cccrreports.asp SignatureThey only have stats to 2001, but I bet if you give them a call and explain why you want them ,you can get updated stats. Hospitals have to report all cancers and they should be broken out by ages and counties. Best of Luck, Alex > Since you are testifying at the state level, stats from the state > would be the most critical ones. > http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/pp/cccr/cccrreports.asp Thank you, Alex. This is good. I emailed for more recent data. Unfortunately for testimony but fortunately for us, CO was below national average for lung cancer. Declined for males but increased for females. My coach for this says our push is protecting all employees from 2nd hand smoke, wherever they work. My particular testimony is to be an emotional reminder of Socks' testimony last year & telling his story. I am to bring a photo (give me strength). I think I'll use the picture of him riding his bike in the MS150 & one of his last photos at a ball game. I will probably speak last, just before the vote. I don't think I'll be going back to work Monday afternoon. Fig, studying >> Since you are testifying at the state level, stats from the state >> would be the most critical ones. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Fig, studying You will be wonderful and you do make a difference. I'll be cheering you on through my thought messages! They will hear you! It will happen! HUGS Penny > You will be wonderful and you do make a difference. I'll be cheering you on > through my thought messages! They will hear you! It will happen! > HUGS > Penny Coach just showed me how anyone in the world can tune in on legislative hearing thru internet. We listened in on one in progress. For me, though, it's enough to talk to a room full of people I can see (some I know personally- tyg) without thinking of ears from afar tuned in. Then again, I'd think only political junkies would care. It's not exactly Jay Leno! Thanks for the vote of confidence & thought messages. Think of 'yes' votes - the color green. Fig > "alex" <alex@noemail.com> wrote in > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Unfortunately for testimony but fortunately for us, CO was below national > average for lung cancer. Declined for males but increased for females. That was my impression from the more recent National stats as well. I tried the Colorado pdf and the smaller one was 66 pages - too much for this computer. Any update (different) from recent Colorado? I guess it would be interesting to know if the females were homebodies and if the success with males were peer, work and societal pressures (not as much of that with homebodies?) Thinking of you and your investigations. Hugs J >> "alex" <alex@noemail.com> wrote in >> [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Hugs > J Good morning, J, Thanks for the good wishes. There's so much info out there that my challenge is to find the point(s) that will result in a 'yes' vote. That's really all that counts. We have local organizations working toward passage of the bill, so I have the opportunity to run my testimony past others this w/e. Nothing really new in CO. Heard back the next morning from CO statistics person saying for 2002/2003 there were 2K new lung cancers cases per year & 1.5K deaths from. I downloaded the pages Alex pointed me to. They show many kinds of cancer & an odd comparison of 1996-2000 (in a lump #) v. 2001. Not good presentation for trend analysis. Thursday, CA (where else) passed ground-breaking legislation classifying second-hand smoke as a toxic air pollutant (like diesel fuel). Read especially the part about young women & breast cancer. http://tinyurl.com/8drfs I have to think twice about whether to mention this as some people here roll eyes in direction of CA. There is also some bias against Californians here as they sell their more expensive houses there & move here, building McMansion neighborhoods that many here consider distasteful & wasteful (& others aspire to). Still haven't watched the Socks video. That would prob give me some direction. He's so very good at political strategy. And what a mind. Have a great w/e! Fig |
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