[FireFly]

Cancer research is something I feel strongly about since my family has hereditary cancer. My father is now battling cancer a second time, my sister passed away, my aunt passed away, my grandmother, my cousin had it removed at the age of 21... I'm familiar with the treatments.

You're right, early detection is the best way to ensure recovery. It's the reason that at 25, I've been getting colonoscopies for 7 years already. However, it's not always failsafe. This most recent battle my father is having... they found the original tumour in March. Due to a heart attack in June, they didn't get to take out the tumour until September. It's now November and the tumour (which they think they successfully removed all of in September) is back and bigger than ever already. They won't get to remove it until December 22nd as that's the first chance at operating room time my father's doctors have. Now they have to remove the entire kidney... and it's pretty much "we'll see what happens when we open him up."

Some of the problem is a lack of communication between doctors. Some of it is the system. (No room until December?! In only a month it grew to larger than it's original size and now we get to wait another month!) Either way, cancer research is the only charity I give my money to because I wouldn't wish any other family ravaged by this disease like mine has been... and yet I know they're out there.