A dying man's wishes and confessions

Three years ago, Eric from Wisconsin began his video blog with updates on his leukemia and confessions on life. He's undergone so much and has given much more back in his speeches and video blogs. Here he was three years, two months ago ago.



He went through many therapies and treatments and he offered up his last thoughts this week... He has people attempting to organize more awareness and a Facebook group to get Christian Bale to meet him. His last video already has over 600,000 views on this latest and official good bye. He's fought almost 10 years of this disease and at 28 is not doing very well... you can see the difference in him over the past three years.



To his family, may you find peace  and to Eric, I hope you've lived your life full as you have fought hard and long.

Skin Check Reminder

Be sun smart

Living in 113* heat means that water is an important part of surviving the summer. We do not have a pool because I am not a strong swimmer and we have young kids. Pool safety, even sans pool, is important.

My 4 year old is learning to swim and being more confident in the water. I've been taking water aerobics and we plan another round of swimming. In areas where the weather is a tad more pleasurable, sun exposure is likely as intense due to the time spent outdoors.

There have been numerous reports recently about how skin cancer is prevalent and how even those who use sunblock sunscreen or a "tanning lotion" are at higher risk for skin cancer.

This week I took myself to the dermatologist. I'm in my early 30s, living in the "land of the sun" with fair skin, blue eyes and freckles. With the start of swimming lessons, I noticed a new "mole" on my back and decided enough is enough, I need a full body check. Not knowing is not worth the risk - my lovely $60 copay gave me a body check up and piece of mind for the next year.

Baby needs a cap!

Use sunscreen SPF30+

Use sunscreen with zinc oxide as the active ingredient, which is one of the "recommended" for UVA blocking (the others being chemicals mexoryl and parsol 1789 or avobenzine). 

Don't use tanning beds

Don't use the tanning bed. There are no safe tanning beds. The nurse practitioner I saw asked me about tanning bed use - I did use it infrequently as a teen and while it has been 15 years since I've used the tanning bed, I know many people (listen up family!) who do use them regularly still. Here are some facts on tanning beds (from Skincancer.org)

• Those who make just four visits to a tanning salon per year can increase their risk for melanoma by 11 percent, and their risk for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma by 15 percent.⁵⁷

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a proven human carcinogen.³³ Currently tanning beds are regulated by the FDA as Class I medical devices, the same designation given elastic bandages and tongue depressors.³⁴

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an affiliate of the World Health Organization, includes ultraviolet (UV) tanning devices in its Group 1, a list of the most dangerous cancer-causing substances.³⁵ Group 1 also includes agents such as plutonium, cigarettes, and solar UV radiation.³⁶

Frequent tanners using new high-pressure sunlamps may receive as much as 12 times the annual UVA dose compared to the dose they receive from sun exposure.³⁷

Ten minutes in a sunbed matches the cancer-causing effects of 10 minutes in the Mediterranean summer sun.³⁸

Nearly 30 million people tan indoors in the U.S. every year³⁹; 2.3 million of them are teens.⁴⁰

On an average day, more than one million Americans use tanning salons.⁴¹

Seventy-one percent of tanning salon patrons are girls and women aged 16-29.⁴²

Indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors.⁴³

People who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.⁴⁴

Wear Protective Clothing

Clothing can offer protection as well from the sun. I am not a sun worshiper. I believe in the value of Vitamin D, but I also am not afraid of my freckles and white skin. I'd rather have ultra pale skin than skin cancer. There are a variety of protective clothing lines that have UV protection built in. A tightly woven cotton t-shirt will also work. 

I came from my appointment knowing I'm okay right now. But it was a good reminder to apply sunscreen, be diligent about not being in the sun when it is "peak" time (in Phoenix it is 9 am - 6 pm, lovely) and to not only protect my skin, but also my face (wide-brimmed hat), eyes (sunglasses) and lips (use an SPF lip balm)

Dear Daily Mining Gazette - Articles should report the news, not be free advertisement

One of the local papers from "back home" always has "articles" that are from the local health department. Basically, they're advertisement reminders to get vaccines, which are disguised as articles. Most of the time, I write a note to whomever wrote the article via email, but I never get a response. I'm sure I'm known as the crazy who responds to their "articles" asking them to do a balanced/fair or show more than one perspective.

So, I do not have a child with autism, but I still worry about vaccines and many diseases, not just autism. Yes I know kids with autism. Yes I used to work in a direct care environment with adults with autism. No I don't know the cause of autism. Yes I am worried about the overall affect of vaccines on young children. No I don't think every doctor is out to compromise the immune system of children. Yes I do believe that major drug companies know that vaccines are not the cure all. Yes I know when drug manufacturers cause another illness, they later make money when patients need to be treated. Yes my children have received vaccinations. No I don't expect them to have full immunity. Yes I hope they work. Yes I realize that SV-40 is likely still in our polio vaccines and now most cancer has this contamination. No I don't think we'll see true freedom from medical bullying of individuals. Yes I do wish we really had true freedom to choose whether or not to jab our children with items we know have toxic chemicals (and possibly cancer) right in them. Yes I wish we had more awareness to the issues, rather than just articles in papers with quotes from people paid to talk positively about drugs. At least get someone on the other side of the stance rather than just the viewpoint that vaccines are absolutely essential and are full of benefits and immune boosters, because they aren't immune boosters - they (may or may not) help trick our body into thinking we've already had a disease so we don't get it... but we may get the disease from the vaccine, or the vaccine may damage us. Or we may be perfectly fine (or so we think). 

So here's my latest rant/email to the author of an article in the Daily Mining Gazette:

Thank you for being a source of news for the Copper Country. I do have to ask if we can get a balanced article rather than an advertisement for Merck and other drug companies.

My issue with this line from your article entitled, "Autism on the Rise," "The possibility that autism is caused by chemicals used in vaccinations has been debunked by numerous subsequent studies." is that it likely is not fully true. The "debunked" doctor actually has been un-debunked and is challenging the whole issue. http://www.naturalnews.com/034974_Andrew_Wakefield_BMJ_lawsuit.html Wakefield actually filed suit against the British Medical Journal (which has their own ties to drug companies) http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jan/05/andrew-wakefield-sues-bmj-mmr and no one actually has "proven false" which is actually impossible and no one gives any other REASON for these increases. Did you think to ask that question in your interview? When she indicated its been proven again and again that vaccines don't cause autism... the natural next question seems to be "well ... what does cause autism?" Right?

To make matters worse... we test primates with almost all drugs, but not the vaccines we give babies and toddlers. Want to know why? http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/05/sick-monkeys-st.html I am not saying testing primates is right or wrong, but why NOT in this case?

And for a mainstream news article... same thing. Monkeys given hep b vaccine (mostly known to be an STD, but the vaccine is given to babies at birth, even when both parents are known to be Hep B negative) http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500690_162-5369814.html develop autism-like issues...

http://vactruth.com/2012/01/13/andrew-wakefield-autism/

If you get the chance to interview the same pediatrician, perhaps ask her how much her office/hospital has made off of vaccines in the past 12 months and any bonuses they receive for having a higher rate of "compliant" families.

The typical argument is that they don't use mercury as the adjuvant any more in most vaccines, yet autism is still rising... But they still use aluminum, another neurotoxin!

I don't expect things to change with the local paper, but it sure would be nice to see an actual article... one that digs for answers rather than just advertisements that unsuspecting individuals see as fact. It just boggles me that a news article can have just one side of the story. Doesn't that just make it free advertisement?

As of today now there's now a reported link between obesity during pregnancy and autism. Hmm, well all these toxins in our body are stored in our fat, so perhaps it is "our" generation that started getting more vaccines and it is stuck in our bodies that's helping that link? Or, perhaps the women who got flu vaccines during pregnancy may that as well. Maybe that's the next study that needs to be done? Whatever the cause of autism, basic science tells us a hypothesis cannot disprove something, you can only "confirm or fail to confirm" a hypothesis. Either way we must continue to wonder and be aware of what it is we're putting into our body.

If so many non-supportive studies can be debunked for conflict of interest, why can't all these doctors who are paid kickbacks for vaccines be debunked for making statements that affect their pay? Now I'm not saying all doctors do it for the money. I'm sure they've seen babies die from the craziest of things, but I do think that we need to make sure that, as parents, we know what the potential issues are when our child has something injected in them. Do I think parents should just drop vaccinating without researching? NO! But, I do think that if you choose not to vaccinate, you better do your best to get that baby breastmilk for a year or two. If you can't breastfeed, find someone who will share milk. As much as Nestle tries to mimic breastmilk's properties... it just ain't happening. I also think if you choose not to vaccinate you should be wary of where your children go - going into a public day care, not necessarily a good idea. Really, a parent should research their decision and weigh benefits and risks.

Make their own decision... but this blog isn't research and neither is a small-town newspaper article.

Amputate arms to prevent broken arms

Is just as insane as cutting off a part of the penis (actually the foreskin, an organ) to prevent STDs and now prostate cancer? Yes, I'm an intactivist. For those with religious reasons, I really don't envy your need to make that decision, especially if you're not a practicing Muslim or Jew (Jews intact info, click here). As for Christians... it is actually probably against the Bible to continue to circumcise, so it isn't in your religion to cut, but for the most part Christianity is likely neutral on the topic (Phil. 3:2 "Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil workers! Beware of the mutilation! For WE are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put NO confidence in the flesh!")

However, we know that it is mostly debunked to say that cutting prevents STDs. They can still spread and to say to have unprotected random sex is okay because you're cut is pretty absurd. Let's not give people a false sense of hope.

So if you ARE cut and are worried about prostate cancer, don't run over to your local doctors office and start cutting off the tip of your penis! Get active, use foods known to reduce risk of overall cancers, get rid of high fatty foods, drink breastmilk (ha!) and stay intact. There are plenty of benefits to not running to your urologist.