Imagine a disease that depletes your muscles so thoroughly that your body collapses on itself, suffocating you. A disease that progresses so swiftly that there is no equilibrium or status quo. A disease with symptoms so diverse that caregivers cannot keep ahead of the declines, putting you at risk (of being killed, not just dying). Imagine a disease that will likely snuff out your dreams, hopes, and bank account, Including that of your surviving spouse. Imagine having no treatment and no cure.
Imagine if the unthinkable happened to you.
Imagine if you were healthy, non-smoking, non-drinking, cooked low fat, exercised, and were mindful of your environment. Would you feel betrayed to learn that your disease may well have been caused by toxins in products we use day to day?
I am outraged! I watched "the Human Experiment" narrated by Sean Penn and I'm a true believer. Even though the movie did not name ALS as one of the diseases caused by toxic chemicals in our environment, many indicators point to it. I was diagnosed with ALS weeks before my 50th birthdate. A few weeks before .that, my baby sister was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma cell). She was in her mid-30's.Granted, my sister is a cigarette smoker, and we know cigarettes are loaded with toxins and carcinogens, but I would've thought she'd eventually get lung cancer, COPD, or emphysema. What's really amazing is the sister in the middle of us, also a heavy cigarette smoker, is thus far, cancer and ALS-free.
I worry for my 29 year old daughter, who is also a healthy non-smoker, non-drinker, who exercises and takes care of herself. Will she be able to become pregnant? Will she end up with a devastating illness, like cancer or ALS? The price for living in our privileged society is increasingly steep.
Imagine if the unthinkable happened to you.
Imagine if you were healthy, non-smoking, non-drinking, cooked low fat, exercised, and were mindful of your environment. Would you feel betrayed to learn that your disease may well have been caused by toxins in products we use day to day?
I am outraged! I watched "the Human Experiment" narrated by Sean Penn and I'm a true believer. Even though the movie did not name ALS as one of the diseases caused by toxic chemicals in our environment, many indicators point to it. I was diagnosed with ALS weeks before my 50th birthdate. A few weeks before .that, my baby sister was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma cell). She was in her mid-30's.Granted, my sister is a cigarette smoker, and we know cigarettes are loaded with toxins and carcinogens, but I would've thought she'd eventually get lung cancer, COPD, or emphysema. What's really amazing is the sister in the middle of us, also a heavy cigarette smoker, is thus far, cancer and ALS-free.
I worry for my 29 year old daughter, who is also a healthy non-smoker, non-drinker, who exercises and takes care of herself. Will she be able to become pregnant? Will she end up with a devastating illness, like cancer or ALS? The price for living in our privileged society is increasingly steep.
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