As a lifetime New Yorker, I can't help but pause today to remember the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001. My cousin is a fire captain in New York City and he spent weeks at Ground Zero and the experience changed his life forever. Our hearts go out to those who lost family and friends. We commend and can never repay all the unsung heroes who gave their time and talents to help out in any way.
Talking about tragedies, the many victims of Hurricane Katrina bring to mind other issues. While the Red Cross and volunteers are trying to relocate families, supply food, water and basic necessities, we must stop and think about the cancer patients in the affected areas. Fortunately, several hospitals nationwide have offered their cancer services to those patients displaced by Katrina. Several of the nurses, chaplaincy staff and physicians from the hospital I work at are in Louisiana and Mississippi as volunteers through the Red Cross and other relief efforts. I have asked our administrators if there is any way our hospital and cancer center can volunteer to help the cancer patients from this natural disaster. I urge you to do what you can - whether it be a monetary donation, canned goods, clothing, blankets, a bed in your home, a place in your classroom, a chemotherapy chair in your oncology suite or organizing a fund-raiser - every minute we spend, every dollar we raise can help Americans who suffered the greatest natural disaster in our country's history.
So please, remember 9/11 and never forget. And take a minute to prayer for and help the victims of Katrina.
This column is short and off our usual topic, but there is life before, during and after cancer that affects us all. Don't become a victim of circumstances, do your best to help someone else.
Good health and God speed.
Go To Page: 1
The copyright of the article Memories in Breast Cancer Research is owned by . Permission to republish Memories in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
