I too wish to send all the postive thoughts to KAK (and EVERYONE diagnosed with Breast Cancer) as she begins her journey and am VERY glad of the media exposure that this brings, BUT....
Being a celebrity, she will get top treatment, fast, witht he top doctors, in the top hospitals etcand will not have to worry about being able to afford it, where many others have their funds sapped, as they cannot work, bills pile up, meidcal bills mount (and if they are talked into using their private insurance, they can be put into bankrupcy by the out of pocket), many have to rely on welfare payments like sickness allowance, to live).
Many women are diagnosed in there 20's, 30's, 40's, and have further issues on their plates like fertility, young children, late diagnosis becasue doctors didn't believe it could be breast cancer (often leading to metastatic disease), more aggressive cancers due to higher levels of hormones (oestrogen and progesterone), going through menopause (temporary or permanent) due to chemo and hormone therapies etc etc. I wish the media would spend some time on this (they did spend a little time on this when they interviewed our lovely Merylee.
Many women have to do this alone or with very little support, where celebrities get support from everyone (look at all of the well wishes that she has received already), some poor women have no other support that this site and other sites like this (if they are lucky enough to have internet access or access to telephone or physical support groups), especially rural and remote women, who have to travel and often live away from home during treatment, leaving young families at home, and paartners who cannot work as they stay home wth yourn children, thuse reducing incomes often to zero), and maybe their treatment team and breast care nurse. again I hope the media take time out to show this side of the disease.
Not that ANY of this is KAK's fault or takes away from her journey, I just wish that the media spent some of its time on this side of the journey, on the less famous side if getting breast cancer and the other things it can cause.
Again this is NOTHING against KAK, and I wish her all the best in her BC journey and hope that she gets good news all the way through her journey.
I jsut wanted to say this becasue when I hear and read all about KAK at present but I know of a women who is contimplating filling for bankrupcy becasue she can't afford to pay her rent and buy food this month (or likely for the next few months), sue to using her private insurance to get treatment and the exorbitant out of pocket expenses she has been left with - I list to both and think, I know of other women who have no support, or who have to wait weeks for treatmnt (I myself had to wait 43 days - 25 days to just see a surgeron after diganosis (I got diagnosed 22/12/11 and the doctors were all on their Christmas/ New Years Holidays) and then another 18 days for surgery. I could have used my private insuracne but I would NEVER have been ablet o pay the $2,000 - $20,000 - we were told would be our out of pocket expenses) - How is this fair...
I hoe this doesn't offend anyone (especially any celebrities if they ever read this) as that is not my purpose, truly it isn't I just wish that the media would also spend time showing the other side of breast cancer, that of breast cancer in the normal women (or man) and the troubles it can bring, such as financial hardship). ?
