Givepatientsafightingchance.com

My name is Leo. This site was started in Feb. of 2008. I was dianosed with a slow form of luekemia in Sept. of 2007. Like most who get diagnosed with a lethal disease, it was devastating emotionally. Fortunately, my form of Cancer is slow and there has been recent success in managing my form of luekemia.

Upon learning of my luekemia, I started learning about my disease. Thank Goodness for the internet. I saw treatment stratagy after treatment stragety being proposed and tested. Some of these strategies have already made it to animal studies. Others have just passed petri dish studies. Many of these developing stratagies seem so promising. Because my disease is so slow, it seemed a given that even if one in ten of these many  stratagies resulted in success, I would be ensured another 30 years of live and just maybe, a normal lifespan.

But then I started learning about how expensive it is to develope a drug. I learned how many drug companies have to choose between which of many drug stratagies they can afford to develpoe. I learned how in some cases very good theuapuetic drug stratagies simply get shelved away due to the expense in deveoping them. I learned about the economics  of developing a new drug and how the high costs slow down drug developement.

It sadly for me has become apparent that even if I live another 5-10 years, I may never see these therapies. Even if they turn out to be extremely successful therapies, it may take more than 10 years before they pass through the many tests that are required. It seems not exactly efficient to me that my only option is to watch and wait for due process while I slowly fade into the next world. That has been hard, for many, knowing that a tretment is out there, yet not being able to try it.

For those with more serious  Acute Cancers and disease it is more impperative that we take the stops to be more efficient in how we develope life saving technologies,

I have learned of the many well meaning FDA programs that will at times allow compasionate use of drug stratagies, but still as I understand things, most people and Doctors don't have the time, resources, and training to get through the many buerocratic processes required to try a newer stratagy.

I thought of how my last days on Earth should be 5-10 years from now when, according to my local hemotologist, I will die. Since my life is like so many others, working hard to serve clients in a business and serving my family and spouse, it seems unfortunate that I can't serve mankind and myself by trying a new untested therapy just before my days are done. By trying such a therapy, I give myself one last chance to beat my Cancer. Most importantly, I can donate my last few weeks towards a cure.

I have always lamented the situation that exists in today's fertility clinics. Embryos daily being thrown away. I have always felt that if I were one of those embryos, and living unfortunately just wasn't an option, I would at least want to be used to benefit mankind. Better that than just being thrown away.

So now, in a way that I never had imagined, I feel a kinship with those wasted embryos. After trying accepted FDA treatments for my disease, my only option long term may be to go home and wait to die. Even though, there is promising research out there that just possibly could save my life.

It has occurd to me that besides saving the lives of many lab rats, dogs, monkeys, Ect. I could save Reserch Companies resources and time. Resources and Time that will add up to many saved lives in the future. Acceptance of such a stratagy to me seems so much more efficient and to me truly does reflect an attitude of "DO NO HARM". Maybe it would be best said by "Do No Harm By At Least Trying."

Thus, I feel that I should have that right. Once I pass through some regulation set up by the FDA or a State legislation system insuring that I'm close to death, I would like the ability to depend on just myself and my research team to at least try a developing stratagy. That decision should be between me and my Doctors. 

Certainly my Doctors and I will try accepted FDA approved therapies beforehand. Unfortunately, none of those offer a cure at this time.

Thus, for those who deal with terminal patients and those patients that want to fight to survive the agenda is clear. I know many have gone before me with little success and maybe that is how it'll stay.

There are those who will disagree and bring up a lot of reasons why such change isn't a good idea. To those I simply say, there is no argument that science will move forward faster and that mankind will benefit more than ever if new therapuetic stratagies get into human beings faster than they currently are.

Even though we may respectfully disagree, why not let those of us who want to try. Let us try to live. Let us try to improve mankind. Let it be our well informed decision. And quite Frankly, what business do you have in telling me that I have to die when there is hope through developing technology. When you are terminal, you can make that choice to do nothing if you want. Let it be my choice, not yours.

 One thing will be sure though, over time, with enough patients, we can lower the costs of drug developement and save many more years of life than ever in the past. To me, its simple. The benefits far out weigh the risks.

We are in a Golden age of pathology and Cancer biology eulicidation. Yet to me, our regulation of life saving thearapuetics  and the process to bring them to mankind needs to get caught up to the speed of current research. Patients like I deserve such. So does the research industry, and so do those millions of patients who are healthy now, yet will be afflicted with these diseases in the not to distant future.

Lastly, The common sense of these arguments are self  evident and I, we, believe that voters will approve them when others in power may not.  Propositions put together inteligently should have tremendous support.

Lastly, Plainly, and with every ounce of my soul, FOR THOSE PATIENTS THAT WANT TO DECIDE ON THEIR OWN......................................................................          

          GIVE PATIENTS        

   A FIGHTING CHANCE!

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