Bringing the fight to end cancer
 

Dear RevScene,

Seven or eight years ago, I've reached out to the Revscene community to help raise money towards BC Children's Hospital. I was completely blown away by the generosity and care from complete strangers that were supporting me in shaving my head in the middle of convocation mall at SFU. At the time I raised $571 that put our campaign at $12,000 donated to BC Children's Hospital. Manly tears were wept inside by the kindness that the community has shown me.

Over the years, I've volunteered at various events like the Terry Fox run and United Way Campaigns at work. Holding bake sales and shaving my head with support of those around me. Last year I raised $300 for BC Breast Cancer Foundation 5K run. As I get older, my running days are slowly diminishing as the impact on my knees and back are getting harder to bear with each 10K that I ran. It certainly does not help with a herniated disc in my back.

I'm not a smart man by any means, I wish I had the aptitude to become a doctor, I want to help those in need, I feel that my calling is to help those less fortunate than I. I am fortunate enough go through life so far without any major health issues. However, there are those around me who suffer daily through various cancers and diseases and the only hope I have to helping those who suffer is to donate my time and body towards funding those who can help directly.

So here I am, again, reaching out to the community in hopes to raise the money to help end the suffering of cancer. If my joints can't take it, I will find an alternative that will let me continue the battle. Biking for me has allowed me to do as such without the impact that my spine and joints will take. I've taken up the BC Ride to Conquer Cancer and the money I will raise will go towards fighting adolescent cancers. I still have the working tools that will get me down to Seattle and as long as I have a beating heart and my body still has breath left in it, my dream of creating a positive impact, no matter how small or large, will perpetuate.

I want to thank Revscene, past, present, and future for the community support. Thank you for your time in reading the above ramble. Below is my rider page:

The Ride to Conquer Cancer presented by Silver Wheaton benefiting BC Cancer Foundation: Mr. Jonathan Leung - The Ride to Conquer Cancer

I hope to see some of you there as I've met a few riders from the sports forum.

http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/...185rc/John.jpg

Someone chopping onions in here?



Really really good work man, I don't even know what to say, but of course you will have my support.

You do know the main protocol of cancer treatment in the western world is chemotherapy? Its said that most people taking this route are limited to 2-5 years... Ive never seen pubic stats made to show its long-term survival. But alternative natural treatments have shown long term survival rates...
like with Suzanne Somers. (random video)
Suzanne Somer's Cancer Battle, Pt 5 | The Dr. Oz Show

So although you have good intentions, these mainstream cancer foundations work against survival rates.

While I understand chemo is the standard go-to in Western Medicine, it still provides an alternative to doing nothing at all. At the very least it gives people hope and spirit to keep fighting to live on and that is something that I can be proud to support.

Thank you for the information and consideration.

Thank you nabs, I've got no ragrets in the time I spend doing this or the things I've done in the past. Not even one letter.

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/73...4d5c88802b.jpg

It actually isnt an alternative, its the main treatment option... if you think other types of therapies are "doing nothing at all" then would you say Mrs.Sommers and others like her miraculously beat cancer by chance?

I didn't say other treatments are "doing nothing at all". I literally meant that some people hear they have cancer lose hope and sit there and wait to die doing nothing. I would think that chemo is still a better alternative than to give up on life. I didn't get the chance to see the video since data is limited. I didn't mean to imply that people who seek other treatments are doing nothing.

The video doesnt address the issue, I more posted it to show a face of a cancer survivor without Chemo treatment.
I feel, instead of supporting an institution that like selling hope, it would be right to back one that educates patients on treatments with longer survival rates.
With Chemo being the main government treatment, shouldnt there be a statistical chart made by now plotting how long people have lived with this therapy? I cant find one, Id be interested to see it if you can source some.

A large majority of cancer is preventable and treatable, so get checked regularly.

is it me or is CiC a debbie downer? keep doing what you are doing ZN6!

seriously CiC, stop ragging on this guy's thread. he's here to thank his supporters and asking for support again for what he believes in. if you're not willing to help, then don't.

these foundations help the lives of affected patients to be as comfortable as possible through various supports. treatment is a big aspect of it, but not the only one. having hope goes a long way, its all about positive outlook and thinking.

no need to start a technical battle/debate.

keep up the good work ZN6 :thumbsup:

CiC start your own cancer treatment thread

Charles I recently took a class taught by a BC cancer researcher and the push to make patient specific treatment is real. Sequencing is getting cheaper and soon it will be possible to design patient specific cancer treatments. I'll post some links once home (on my phone ATM). Everyone's DNA is different and evety cancer is unique so this is a huge step forward


Chemotherapy is used as a broad acting way to stop cells from mitotically dividing and its efficacy is proven however the side effectsare pretty severe, so I will give you that

I wish the world were as transparent as you think it ought to be. If the survival rate is as dire as you say it is, posting statistics on it is only going to deter people from seeking treatment. Since you say you can't find and public concrete statistical chart on survival rates aren't you just relying on hearsay? I mean, you sound like a pretty quantitative guy so maybe you can educate the public through criticism, backed by your statistical research, on how ineffective chemotherapy is.

Your Dollars at Work - The Ride to Conquer Cancer

Here's a link to where the money goes. Propaganda, maybe, but that's the only thing I got to back up my participation; believing in a foundation to provide a better tomorrow.

I see where CiC is going with this. CiC point of view is looking far into the future by studying the methods of treatment and how effective they are.

But there are types of cancer that only chemo can treat so some patients are left without choice and must disregard statistics.

There are government campaigns to vehemently stop doctors who are successful in treating cancer using alternative therapies,
I dont stand for propaganda lies, if you guys want to fully debate this, watch the following documentary so that your knowledge is on par with mine then challenge my views.

The Business of Cancer Exposed | CUT POISON BURN (low quality)

Chemo is the go to treatment, so if many millions have gotten the treatment, why not openly disclose the long term survival statistics. The onus is not on me to find it because part of my argument is that since its the number one treatment, why is it not readily available for me to find?

Dude, do you ever stop posting mindless dribble to sit back and evaluate your views on the world?

In another thread you posted something about vaccines and heavy metals causing diseases in vaccinated kids -- something that has been stopped (in most cases) because testing + research showed it was dangerous; yet you go on to post about the government stopping doctors from practicing alternative medicine. These doctors were targeted because the long term-safety of these treatments is unknown (just like those vaccines you hated on so much, funny how you flop your stance on the topic), and they're stopped mostly due to people capitalizing on others' misfortune by appealing to them in their time of need by offering some sort of miracle cure all (at a price, of course)

Did you know that your own immune system plays a huge role in fighting tumorigenesis (the first step to formation of a cancer), and in several well documented cases a persons immune system has cleared a 'cancer' ? So .. is it possible that these 'new-age' treatments were not really responsible for 'curing' people? (Hint: yes)

And FYI Charles, Chemo is not the 'go to treatment' and anyone who knows anything about the topic would laugh in your face -- In the past it was, but recent developments in 3D screening, imaging and tumor detection coupled with the recent emergence of cheap/fast DNA-sequencing technology, the ability to figure out cancer-causing pathways that allow cancer cells to replicate indefinitely, resist death, and spread are being discovered, and serves as the best current way to approach cancers and treatment. There are already very specific drugs made that can target cancer cells and leave all other cells largely unaffected. This has even lead to quick assays/tests that allow for the quick and easy determination of the specific type of mutation present, and this in turn allows for a treatment plan catered to each patient's specific cancer (thereby reducing adverse reactions, increasing the survival rate, decreasing cost to the government/patient)

There are also initiatives at BC cancer that aim to catalog the tumor DNA sequence, mutated genes, patient profile (and a ton of other parameters) in order to zero-in on the causative mutations present in cancer cells; at the same time, this makes a reference database so a doctor can take the patients tumor DNA sequence, search for it in the database, find other similar patients and treat them accordingly. This will lead to easier classification of cancers, and even more specific treatments that can be used in conjunction with each other to have a synergistic lethal effect on cancer cells specifically. That's a huge development, and it's happening right here in BC

I'm not so much arguing against you Charles as much as I'm trying to put forth correct and accurate information. If I wanted to debate you I'd just bang my head against the wall because both actions are roughly equally productive. Everyone's DNA is different, and cancers cause instability of the DNA leading to many different cancerous cells, each with different mutations. A simple 'cure' is not feasible because every single person is unique and every single cancer is unique, but by stratifying the the treatment approach, by using next-gen sequencers to determine the specific enabling mutations of each cancer, and by creating a database for cancer patients for easier clinical diagnosis it is possible to stratify the approach of cancer treatment and increase is efficacy tremendously all while reducing the side effects.


tl;dr

fuck you charles

SO these pills that target certain cells and are made for unique DNA, are they chemo pills?

edit -
What percentage of patients are offered Chemo as a first option? Are alternative hospital treatments as expensive as Chemo?
Also with all you wrote in this field couldnt you find the long term success rates of Chemo?


Lastly I totally called out your make belief teachings in the vaccine thread.

Small molecules, anything from small peptides to antibodies.

All the new drugs inhibit a function that is specific or largely up-regulated in cancer cells so they are by nature far more toxic to cancerous cells and have little/no effect on regular cells.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targeted_therapy
Gleevec is a great/classic example. It targets a mutation caused by a translocation of chromosomes leading to the BCR-ABL fusion protein being produced, which inappropriately activates targets in the affected cells leading to cancer (the pathway and intermediates is known). All Gleevec does is inhibit the BCR-ABL fusion protein (which is the causative mutation in the cancerous cells) and is therefore only toxic to cancerous cells (normal cells don't have the BCR-ABL fusion protein).


The antibody approach works because the antibody targets a sequence/protein unregulated on the cancer-cell surface (or that only exists on the cancer cell surface) and binds. Once bound it can allow the immune system to destroy whatever it has bound


Many of these drugs are used in combination with other drugs to increase the efficacy dramatically (synergism). Radiation therapy alone may not kill all the cancer cells, but radiation therapy along with targeted therapies like gleevec or antibodies allows for a dramatic increase in survival rates. I used chemotherapy as an example because its broad acting, but it depends on the cancer and it could be any combination of anti-cancer drugs



edit:

Charles, there are ~500 different types of cells in your body, each one of those can lead to a different type of cancer. Cancer is not a simple disease and statistics are easily skewed by the smallest omitted detail. I have a rudimentary understanding and I'm telling you what you said is completely wrong

SRSLY GTFO! Stop shitting in this guy's thread. Make your own thread about the topic. This man is doing this out of the goodness of his own heart and is just asking for your support in his efforts.

If you don't support it, MOVE ON. Post those videos and links in your own thread.

This man is not a Doctor, he is not a theorist, he is not a professor, he just wants to do all he can do to HELP.

So please, just stop.

Isnt this like recruiting soldiers for corporate wars, but fronting thats its really for nationalistic humanitarian purposes?

@dhillon09
How do you know about medical practices used in hospitals? Do you know the questions I asked earlier?

Asks questions, expects answers. Gets asked questions, ignores them and keeps asking questions.

Someone gives him answers and is pretty much an expert-still finds way to shit on answer and find them wrong. How can there be discussion when it's so one sided?

Fuck this "corporate war" bullshit. If you shop at Walmart or any big box you're already a hypocrite.

My club at SFU has raised over 20k for the CCS over the past few years. They're a great group trying to get things done to help find a cure for Cancer. Chuck don't you dare fucking start with "the government has the answer already, they just want to profit off people dying" bullshit. If you have all the answers as you so claim, by all means produce HARD evidence that YOU have the CURE for Cancer. If not, then shut up because there's still hope that something will be developed, and that's exactly what this guy is fundraising for.

TLDR; Fuck off Charles, help OP donate to a great cause.

Sequencing is just starting to become faster/cheaper, the technology is almost there. I forget the program name but there is a program that is in its early stages and it's spearheaded by BC Cancer. Patients with highly malignant cancers that cannot be classified (i.e. Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma(NSCLC)) and are resistant to chemotherapy are asked if they'd like to partake. They had something like a 70% treatment efficacy rate in their sample of ~32 patients (numbers are from memory so feel free to check) because they used additional diagnostic steps and used relevant treatments. That 70% doesn't seem like a great number, but keep in mind that the cross-section of patients they used had an expected survival rate far below that (more or less terminal cases --- a few people actually passed away from the cancer before the study concluded). Now, imagine that up-scaled and everyone with cancer is getting that level of treatment. The possibilities are huge, the technology/infrastructure needs to be built around it though

MAKE YOUR OWN THREAD! I will gladly discuss it with you in there!

Can mods at least leave a message if Im to be locked out of a thread again like in the Stanley Park statue thread.
dhillon09 your answers came out to be more hope and fun raising needs... good luck in finding the truth