Accepting Palliatives or Searching for Cures

I strongly disagree with portions of the article “Learning to Accept the Inevitable.”

While it may be true that in this country we have difficulty in dealing with the fear of dying and favor high-tech aggressive medicine to treat cancer, that is not the story of the American Cancer Society. ACS has been helping patients and their families cope with the social and psychological aspects of cancer since 1913, including palliation.

This past year in California alone the American Cancer Society served more than 55,600 cancer patients and their families with free information, guidance, transportation, home health care and emotional support services. Nationwide, the American Cancer Society helps millions of patients and their families with such programs as Reach to Recovery (for breast cancer patients); Drive to Win (free patient transportation); Workplace/Insurance Advocacy (for cancer survivors); CanSupport (assistance for homebound patients); camps for children and counseling/support groups.

The American Cancer Society has for many years led studies of patient needs and advanced research efforts in the psychosocial aspects of cancer. The society’s funding of service demonstration projects conducted by our volunteers and outside institutions over the past two decades (such as seed money provided to the first hospices in California) has helped to identify new areas of support services for cancer patients.

With an increased older population, additional needs for palliative efforts will emerge. National and state funding will be needed to meet them. In the meantime, the American Cancer Society, which operates its programs without any government funding, is serving all those who call for help.

EDWARD C. CAZIER JR., Chairman of the board, California Division, American Cancer Society