ML13 Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 I'm ranting now. :angry: There can't be a God! Dana Reeve, the widow of Christopher Reeve who worked tirelessly with her husband to improve treatment for spinal-cord injuries, has died of lung cancer. She was 44. Reeve died late Monday, Kathy Lewis, president and CEO of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, said in a statement. "On behalf of the entire Board of Directors and staff of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, we are extremely saddened by the death of Dana Reeve, whose grace and courage under the most difficult of circumstances was a source of comfort and inspiration to all of us," Lewis said. "Dana will always be remembered for her passion, strength and ceaseless courage that became her hallmark." Reeve, a nonsmoker, announced her cancer battle last August, just 10 months after losing her husband. But she seemed to be making progress in her battle against the disease. Reeve was optimistic during one of her last public appearances in November, at a fund-raising gala in New York for the Christopher Reeve Foundation. "I was married to a man who never gave up," she said. "He taught me so much about courage and about going forward. He really was in this with me." Her announcement came at the end of a particularly difficult time, in which Reeve lost her mother following surgery for ovarian cancer, and Christopher in October 2004. Reeve stoically stood by her husband's side after a May 27, 1995, horse-riding accident left the Superman star a quadriplegic. Following Christopher's death, she took over as head of the New Jersey-based Christopher Reeve Foundation, which works to raise money and awareness for spinal-cord injuries. She and Christopher have a 13-year-old son, Will. I also didn't realize you could get lung cancer and non- smoker. How unfair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothartx Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Yes, it's a bummer. She left a 13 year old behind. Poor kid lost his father and mother pretty young to rather tragic circumstances. Watch you father die slowly and then you mother. She was looking good in recent pictures. Then theres my mother-n-law. Smoker all her life, has heart disease and all the other serious problems associated with smoking, but still hangin in at 70. Nice lady, but wtf... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrmarlin Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Smoking is not the cause of most cancer. Most cancer is hereditary. That has been shown through literally hundreds of studies done by Harvard, Duke, UVA, John Hopkins, UMD, etc. The smoking myth was started for very different reasons than to "alert the public." It is a shame about Reeve's death and I hope that her son will be okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothartx Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Smoking is not the cause of most cancer. Most cancer is hereditary. That has been shown through literally hundreds of studies done by Harvard, Duke, UVA, John Hopkins, UMD, etc. The smoking myth was started for very different reasons than to "alert the public." It is a shame about Reeve's death and I hope that her son will be okay. Both my wifes father and step-father died of lung cancer, both were smokers. Her mom, two oldest sisters and both brother-in-laws all smoke daily. No cancer, but all kinds of pains, chronic lung congestion, high blood pressure, bad hearts, you name it, they seem to have it. None are obese or really over weight at all. Her closest sister never smoked and is healthy. Cancer is predominatley hereditary, but smoking makes your chances worse, IMHO. Not mention heart, lung and other related illnesses that are caused by or aggrevated by smoking. I smoked for 3 years when I was in my twenties and quit, without much problem. Glad I did. Now I only get tempted when I'm drunk off my butt and surounded by smokers, which is not often. Smoking a couple of packs a day is not a healthy habit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrmarlin Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Smoking is not the cause of most cancer. Most cancer is hereditary. That has been shown through literally hundreds of studies done by Harvard, Duke, UVA, John Hopkins, UMD, etc. The smoking myth was started for very different reasons than to "alert the public." It is a shame about Reeve's death and I hope that her son will be okay. Both my wifes father and step-father died of lung cancer, both were smokers. Her mom, two oldest sisters and both brother-in-laws all smoke daily. No cancer, but all kinds of pains, chronic lung congestion, high blood pressure, bad hearts, you name it, they seem to have it. None are obese or really over weight at all. Her closest sister never smoked and is healthy. Cancer is predominatley hereditary, but smoking makes your chances worse, IMHO. Not mention heart, lung and other related illnesses that are caused by or aggrevated by smoking. I smoked for 3 years when I was in my twenties and quit, without much problem. Glad I did. Now I only get tempted when I'm drunk off my butt and surounded by smokers, which is not often. Smoking a couple of packs a day is not a healthy habit. I completely agree -- and while I do smoke, I only smoke about a quarter of a pack a day, if that. But smoking is not the only cause of health issues. There are a lot of people every day that get sick with cancer and have never smoked even one cigarette in their lives. It really has a lot of factors. Lifestyle, diet, even geographical location, i.e. those who live in high polluted areas are more prone to cancer and other types of congestatory problems. I know that when I lived in LA, I was a lot more sensitive to things on those nice brown haze days yet, when I would travel to San Diego or Malibu, I didn't have any problems with sneezing and watery eyes etc. I have met people who have smoked two packs a day, ate like pigs (all the wrong foods), never exercised yet were very healthy and had a very long lifespan -- 90+ years, and then some people who were in their 20s when they died - with no drug problems, smoking or dietary issues. I do know that the surgeon general is well aware of the misinformation but they have no incentive to change it at this point. Perhaps will someday. Personally, I would rather people smoke than have some of the other addictions out there -- like cocaine, heroin... XTC. to name a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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