Time to Get Healthy!

Since I have been diagnosed with leukemia, I have become uber aware of all of the different ways that what I do and what I do not do, can and will, affect my health. I often wonder that if in a perfect world, where there are no pollutants, chemicals and other such detrimental substances to our bodies, and our environment, if disease would exists. Of course, I realize that this is a very deep subject, one that I am currently unable to entertain; however, my very first thought on this subject is that absolutely every single negative thing in our world is money and greed related.

Take smoking for example; because of the mass amounts of money going toward smoking research and anti-smoking campaigns, we are all aware of the risks. So, can anyone tell me, why the rate of young women smoking, is still on the rise? Do they just not hear that the rate of lung cancer has surpassed the rate of breast cancer, as the leading death of cancer, in women? Or do they just not care?

Or, has the tobacco company’s campaigns, far surpassed the surgeon general’s? Has their message of just how “cool” a young girl looks with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, being all empowered and independent, full of equal rights and all of that crap, just outweighed the fact that smoking is a dangerous, costly habit, that once you are hooked, you are likely a customer for life; fattening their wallets, while risking your life. It is mind boggling to me.

Ugh, guess I am just in a mood. It really kills me to see beautiful young girls smoking, not that it doesn’t bother me when anyone else smokes too, but it is the young ones that really get my gut! I wonder if they realized how much more quickly they will age because of smoking maybe that would be a better deterrent than heart disease, emphysema and death.

I just look at them and feel sad; they are so vulnerable and invincible when they are young. I certainly know that I was.  I never in a million years would have dreamed that I would get leukemia, and I TRIED my dam-dest to eat right and exercise; live a clean and healthy life style. I suppose many would then say, “So see, it didn’t work, so why bother.”  My answer to that is simply that even with a blood count of 385,000 white blood cells, I was still able to dance, still able to live my life without even realizing just how sick I was. When nurses and doctors walked into my hospital room they expected to see someone more than half dead; I was not, and I suspect that it was because I DID live a healthy lifestyle leading up to the point when I was diagnosed with CML. And, because I am continuing to do so, my blood counts are decreasing much more quickly than anticipated, so I will continue to do so!

Anyway, my rant for the day: If you don’t smoke, don’t start, and if you do, stop smoking today! There is help available, don’t let those money hungry tobacco companies, that laden cigarettes with addictive poison, win. Stop smoking NOW!