HPV Hope and Help

What finally beat PearlieMae and many of our relatives was the dreaded "C" word (cancer). It was their generation's AIDS and struck more fear and hopelessness in them than any other condition. For them and their peers it was a sentence of death. It didn't matter how many therapies, protocols or alternative treatments there were. It meant they were going to die. Indeed in spite of the fact that her doctors didn't expect her to respond to treatment PearlieMae did. She could have survived her cancer. It would not have meant she would have been cured but she would not have had to die from the ravages of the disease. PearlieMae surrendered to her illness. She gave up hope and that's what killed her.

While the debate continues concerning the cervical cancer vaccine for teenage girls and young adults some researchers are suggesting is that as hopeful as this treatment is it isn't the be all end all cure that many would believe especially for the teenage future PearlieMaes.

"...excess of 18,000 adverse reactions recorded in the US, including 75 deaths. Adverse reactions have also been recorded in New Zealand, Canada and Australia. A US federal report in 2009 found the vaccine had a 400% higher rate of adverse reactions than another comparable vaccine, the Menactra anti-meningitis shot. The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) said it had received 10 reports of suspected adverse reactions associated with Gardasil." (Irish Examiner)

Hope springs eternal - while we know the cervix isn't a bone and PearlieMae's cancer wasn't cervical it made it into her back and into her bones. The same institution that is developing a more effective vaccine than Gardasil which only works against four (4) types of HPV (human papillomavirus) and Cervarix which only works against five (5) types with a vaccine that works against nine (9) types of the cancer. Extending the effectiveness from eighty (80) percent to ninety (90) percent effectiveness and essentially reducing the possibility of adverse reactions.

"Cancer has a greater economic impact from premature death and disability than all causes of death worldwide, according to a report from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the LIVESTRONG organization. Using data from the World Health Organization (WHO), it concludes that cancer "has the most devastating economic impact of any cause of death in the world." (Medscape Today)

The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) has also identified a protein that can result in fragile bones. While PearlieMae's cancer cause her bones to be brittle and hindsight is 20/20 we believe that had she not been so depressed by her virus she might have survived to live a longer life and suffered a more prolonged death. Of course we would believe this because we miss her so much and love her so. We loved her enough to concede to her wishes to not prolong her death.

"In late-stage arthritis, the cartilage function may be completely disrupted but early in the disease process, maybe there is a window for stimulating this protein." (MCG)

Family members that haven't told their own parental units are terrified of their condition even though when discovered in the early stages treatment can be very effective. That's not just our opinion it's also the opinion of specialist in the field.

"If cervical cancer is caught very early, surgery alone may effect a cure. If the disease is more extensive, then radiation is added to the treatment mix... ...Patients with cervical cancer and, in some cases, uterine cancer first get external beam radiation under the new large bore linear accelerator at the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center. This first phase of radiation treatment lasts about five to five-and-a-half weeks. - Dr. Chris Sheils (MCG)

Yes, we're big on prevention but actionable prevention like eating dark non-milk chocolate, adding deep colored foods to your diet - the easy stuff. We even support the taking of vaccines to prevent an annual massacre. But you have to compare the upside to down and make the judgment yourself. We just want to make sure that the treatment isn't as bad as the cure.

So sweet relative of ours, please tell your momma - there is hope and you will survive.