A Teacher With Breast Cancer Has Something to Teach Us About ...

I am always happy to have guest bloggers, especially gifted writers like the teacher below, Judy Fitzgerald, who got in touch with me recently to share her thoughts about Professor Vincent Tuohy?s preventive breast cancer vaccine. ?Please take her advice and do what?s right: ?help us get funds for this research. ?Thank you ? and thank you, Judy.

A Teacher?s Journey?What Breast Cancer Taught Me

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To whom much is given, much is expected.

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Luke 12:48

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It has been three years since that devastating phone call in January 2009 when I received the news that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer.? Pink would no longer be just a pretty color to me.? My life had been forever changed. ?Not a day goes by that I don?t react to any ache or pain and immediately think the big ?C? is back.? If you know or have known someone with cancer, you know that the chance of recurrence is something that is never far from thought.

My story is one that involved an initial missed diagnosis, biopsies, what seemed like endless hours of waiting for results, and then a chilling phone call that relayed that I had not one breast invaded by cancer, but two.? Not only were both breasts cancerous, but each was under attack with two different and separate cancers. I became a warrior in the fight for life.

Following a year which included three major surgeries and endless procedures, I became a member of the ?survivors? club.? I hesitate to use the word ?survivor? since its meaning implies the battle is over.? As one of my breast cancer sisters so apply stated, ?This survivor thing is tricky?the only way you?ll really know if you?ve survived breast cancer, is if you die from something else.?

Those months were grueling not only physically, but psychologically. On advice from my counselor, I began to keep a journal.? As a teacher, it was something I had encouraged my students to do, so I knew it was worth the effort. It proved to be extremely therapeutic. ?It helped me remember details that were useful when I later questioned earlier decisions concerning my treatment path.? My personal Christian beliefs are an integral part of who I am, so I began each chapter with an appropriate bible verse.? The verse reflected how I was feeling at the time, and helped me express those feelings in my writing.

After completing several chapters, I shared my work with my husband and sister-in-law Betty, who unbelievably had been diagnosed with breast cancer a month before me.? We had supported each other through our journeys, and I wanted to see if she remembered anything I had forgotten.? A strange thing happened?they wanted more, and I began re-writing the story in fuller detail.? One evening, while praying, I got the idea that maybe my journey was meant to help others, and that perhaps I should publish my work.? It was then, A Teacher?s Journey?What Breast Cancer Taught Me was born.? My book, I am pleased to say, has just been judged a finalist in the International Book Awards in the Health and Cancer category, and can be purchased on our Sisters4Prevention website through Amazon.com.

Throughout treatment, I had devoured every book I could find that had been authored by survivors, and collected endless notes on strategies to remain cancer free.? These included diet, lifestyle changes and supplement programs.? The results of my research are included in my book.? My intention was to donate all book proceeds to breast cancer research?not in the area of treatment, but prevention.

It was during this research process that I stumbled on Dr. Tuohy?s work. I was stunned to learn that a vaccine already existed that was 100 % effective in preventing breast cancer in mice. Why had I never heard of this in the general media? ?This miracle vaccine was sitting on a shelf at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and its creator, Dr. Vincent Tuohy had been thus far unsuccessful in acquiring funds necessary to complete clinical trials.? How could this be, and why wasn?t Dr. Tuohy receiving more media coverage and support?? Why weren?t hoops being jumped to see this accomplished? I was incredulous and angry!

To someone who had endured a year of tortuous treatment including a double mastectomy, complete hysterectomy, and reconstructive surgery, this was unacceptable!? I immediately called Dr. Tuohy?s office and spoke with Susan Sasvari, the Director of Development at the Cleveland Clinic.? How was it possible that a discovery as potentially significant as the Salk vaccine for polio, not to mention surely worthy of the Nobel Prize, was sitting on a shelf in a lab Ohio simply because the monetary resources could not be obtained?

Where were the billions of funds that had been raised by Komen, Avon and other breast cancer charities, and why weren?t they supporting the vaccine?? The more I learned, the more outraged I became.?? Our ?Big Pink? and government leadership had failed to support the most potentially earth-shattering discovery ever to combat breast cancer.? I felt betrayed and outraged.

I immediately created my own fund-raising site at the Cleveland Clinic and contacted everyone within reach to donate to my site.? My family and I made bracelets, knitted and sewed crafts for craft fairs, held a ?Sock Hop for Hope,? and I dedicated all future proceeds of my book to the vaccine. I even wrote to Sir Paul McCartney whose wife Linda lost the battle with breast cancer.? Perhaps he would consider a concert for Hope? No answer.

I then reached out to women in powerful positions who had themselves fought breast cancer and had the resources to help. I sent my book to Hoda Kotb and my package was returned unopened.? No explanation, no thank you for writing, UNOPENED.? I met with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz at an open forum in Florida.? She had sponsored a presentation by Dr. Tuohy of his groundbreaking discovery in a special, widely attended appeal held on Capitol Hill in 2010. To quote Debbie??Six million dollars (the amount Tuohy needs to begin next steps) is a drop in the bucket to stop breast cancer.? What I discovered was unimaginable.? Our elected officials turned Dr. Tuohy down. Why?? Perhaps campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies which manufacture cancer drugs were too important to outweigh our nation?s breast cancer epidemic.

So President Obama?I challenge you.? Dr. Tuohy has recently been courted by the Chinese.? Chinese medicine has always focused on prevention and they are extremely keen to get Dr. Tuohy to conduct his vaccine clinical trials in China.? Is the USA going to give this life saving and earth shattering discovery to the Chinese?? Do we want this Nobel Prize discovery stamped ?Made in China???? It?s unthinkable!

What will it take for Dr. Tuohy to proceed?? Our leadership has failed us.? It?s time for we ?wee folks? to spread the word and create such chatter in every possible public media so as to demand an answer and support.? Why can?t Americans get the job done?? So, I ask you, please Facebook, Tweet, and write everyone you know to spread the word about this potentially miraculous discovery. We need to gain momentum for this essential research to get the attention of those in a position to help.

As a former teacher, I plead and challenge all teachers and students to help.? When I was teaching, I engaged my class in community service projects to teach them the value of service to others.? Please join our ?Changing Pink Challenge?.? Have students collect spare change at home for a week and contribute the funds to Dr. Tuohy?s vaccine. If it?s within your means, let?s flood Tuohy?s office with donations.? Wouldn?t it be a wonderful tribute to have thousands of letters arriving with donations?? If every person we reach each sent just a single dollar?we could get this done!

Please visit our website at www.sisters4prevention.com ?to read more about the vaccine.? You may also email me at: sisters4prevention@yahoo.com.

Let?s make some noise?.PLEASE! Breast cancer has reached epidemic proportions. One in four women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. We need to give this the attention of any other disease epidemic. If we don?t, what will the odds be when our children reach maturity? It?s unthinkable!

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