LEFT OF THE RIGHT: Edwards Announcement brings Old Issue Back To Front And Center. Cancer, The War We Should Be Fighting

Today John Edwards and his wife held a press conference to announce Mrs. Edwards breast cancer has returned. Fortunately, they have decided that the John Edwards for president campaign will go on. It is for this reason this correspondent will now get officially behind his campaign.

Being one of a few scattered survivors of a family virtually wiped out by cancer, I am personally very passionate about this issue. I am under 50 and except for one person, the previous generation is gone, and there were dozens, and all from cancer. In addition to this, my first wife died of cancer in 2001. And just last year my current wife survived both breast and uterine cancer. Unfortunately, our financial situation left us dependent on government assistance for her treatment.

My wife had just started a new job and when she informed her employers how much time she would need to miss for surgery and chemotherapy, they let her go. Left with nothing but my disability check, we had to turn to the state for help. At first they turned her down, and for a time I feared losing my beloved because we were, of all things, poor. I was outraged; luckily a very sympathetic social worker took up our cause and got my wife qualified on some obscure special circumstance program. Actually, I think the person cooked the books slightly to get her treatment, because my wife was abruptly cut off assistance shortly after she was diagnosed cancer free. I appreciate what that person did, but it begs the question. Would my wife have died if this person had not intervened? Well, when you look at statistics comparing cancer survivability of the wealthy and the poor, the answer is an alarming yes. And as if to add insult to injury (literally), my wife received the termination of assistance notice THE DAY before she was to go in for her reconstruction surgery. This has left her with one breast and a huge, hideous scar. One can only guess about what a nightmare this woman’s life has been the last three years.

But my wife is a truly amazing woman. The day she was told for the first time she had cancer, was just a month after I had started doing stand up comedy as a professional. The first thing out of her mouth after being told was “if you turn down even one gig because of this, I’ll kick your butt.” That’s why I was so moved by the Edwards announcement today. What ever you think of John Edwards, we now know that his wife’s support is absolute. And I believe this is a very important factor when deciding who to back for president. I know I could never have pursued a comedy career if my wife wasn’t 100% behind me.

But the bigger point is; why is the fact that millions of Americans are still dying of cancer every year not an emergency? And why are those who are less fortunate and afflicted with this hideous disease treated so badly? Where is the battle cry? “War On Cancer.” Instead we declare war on things like drugs, which apparently has ended up an exercise in futility. The biggest effect I see from the “war on drugs” has been to keep the insidious, evil drug known as marijuana out of the hands of criminals like cancer and AIDS patients.

I really hope that something positive can come from the bravery of Mrs. Edwards and perhaps finally we will declare war on the plague known as cancer

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Devin Barber, Politics Correspondent

Devin’s column, “Left Of The Right” published every Tuesday and Thursday to Gather Essentials: Politics is a Blue Collar Democrats take on current political news.

Devin was raised by proud Roosevelt Democrats. Being the son of parents counted among the throng of Americans displaced by the Great Depression has given Devin a deep rooted passion for causes dealing with the poor and the working class.

You can find all of Devin’s columns at http://gather.com/leftoftheright

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