Letter to the Editor: I Agree with Fred Wittig

This writing is in response to a letter submitted to the editor by Fred Wittig in the Nov. 6 edition of this paper.

Thank you Mr. Wittig for putting into words, so succinctly, the facts regarding how we manage, or, more aptly, mismanage the disease of cancer in this United States.

I am a healthy cancer survivor for 17 years now, nearly to the day of my surgery in November of 1998. Uterine cancer dictated a full hysterectomy. I was deemed cancer free following the surgery, yet I was urged to suffer through six weeks of radiation therapy at three visits per week. When I asked my surgeon why she thought that was necessary, she told me that I might have a random cancer cell floating around in my system and that the radiation would hopefully zero in on it. Number one – all flesh and blood organisms have cells floating about in our systems. Most of them never turn cancerous. Number two – blasting your body with very harmful radiation in hopes of hitting a cell or two that are floating around in there is about the dumbest proposal I’ve ever heard. I looked her straight in the eye and told her to tell me that hitting my abdominal area 18 times with radiation would not harm my internal organs. Of course, she told me that was obviously to be expected. How absurd. I told her thanks, but no thanks. On the QT this doctor then told me that I had made the right decision, but she was expected to offer follow-up treatment on all cases for two reasons: no one wants to be sued for not offering every possible avenue to good health and the hospitals want the revenue. I walked away and never looked back.

Same thing with a relative. Uterine cancer, full hysterectomy, suggested several weeks of chemotherapy. Relative refused follow-up treatment, even after she was told that she would be dead within six months if she did not receive said therapy. She went on to live another 30 years cancer-free, and just recently passed of heart disease.

I could continue with several other similar accounts. The bottom line here is that Mr. Wittig speaks truth when he tells us that cancer treatment is indeed one of the biggest industries in this country today. I’ve watched people die slowly and needlessly due more to the treatment they received than the actual cancer. For those of you willing to take an active roll in your own health care, get educated. I sincerely believe that the cancer treatment methods used today will someday fall into the same category as bloodletting and the use of leeches of years long ago.

I, for one, intend to file Mr.Wittig’s submission. I may want to confer with him at some point.

Sharon Thill

Sturgeon Bay, Wis.