From Saundra

Saundra wrote: Here I go again, the bearer of bad news. 

Juanita Gordon Llewellyn's husband Bill passed away last week.  Am sure she would appreciate some words of support from her classmates.  Our hearts go out to her at this sad time in her life.

Also, Richard Tatton could probably use some words of cheer as he is presently undergoing chemotherapy.

Saundra


Myrna wrote: Juanita and I were friends before school. We lived in the same ward. I am so sorry to hear about her husband's death.

There is too much cancer in our world. I know we all have to die but I certainly wish that we could have an easier time of it. 

Saundra wrote: AMEN!  Carbon County has a very high cancer rate and I know it is from the radiation from the atomic bomb testing.  We were not declared a downwinder county, but if you look at a map of the path the radiation followed (north/east) it went right over us.

Myrna wrote: I have already lost two very dear cousins to cancer--both younger than I am--one at age 50 and the other at age 60. My sister, next in age, had breast cancer as did two cousins. One Uncle, my one grandfather, two aunts, who were all residents of Carbon or Emery, have died of cancer. Two other cousins are fighting for their lives. I just can't understand why those two counties were not declared downwind areas. It bothers me. Sometimes I think it is more about money than about truth.


Saundra wrote: I know what you're saying.  The money plus the government doesn't want the people to know what they did to us, their very own people. 

Not looking at any extended family, just my immediate family:  Have lost a sister to breast cancer at age 43 (left a family of seven children) and my mother to colon cancer.  Now my brother is fighting for his life from Non-hodgkins lymphoma and his wife (originally from California) who lived in Carbon County in the 50's has had cancer as well as myself.  So, we have had 4 out 7 and 5 out of 8.  Charlotte Smith has the same stats.  She has lost four out of her immediate family of seven to cancer.

9/11 was a horrible tragedy, but pales in comparison to what Utahn's have suffered.  Congress was quick to jump on the bandwagon (within months) and award the surviving family members about 1.4 million dollars.  The declared 'downwinder' counties' people received $50,000 each and about 50 years later.  The people involved in 9/11 were just in the wrong place at the wrong time and it was terrible for their families to witness, but their family members were in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Plus, our government had nothing to do with it as it is was perpetrated by people from another country.  In contrast, they brought our suffering upon us.  And it is not a quick, painless death.  So we have had to witness the long suffering of family members as well as ourselves (not to mention the lifelong side effects of chemo and radiation) and pay for the medical expenses ourselves, which far exceed $50,000. 

If you can get hold of and read the book The Day We Bombed Utah, it is very disheartening and scary and makes one lose faith in our government.  Guess that is the norm nowadays. 

Ah well - time to get off my soap box for the day.

Saundra

Myrna wrote: We need to stay on our soapboxes. There is too much of the "silent majority" in our society.