Money Well Spent?

      While browsing the web this afternoon, I came upon a New York Times article called "My Brain on Chemo: Alive and Alert." In this article, the author, Dan Barry, wrote about his struggle with cancer and chemotherapy. When reflecting back on this experience, he says, "Depending on one’s perspective, I was both unfortunate and fortunate. Unfortunate in that I endured all the concomitant fears and indignities, twice. Fortunate in that I had the option of chemotherapy, twice. Not all cancers respond; not everyone is so lucky."
       Dan Barry is right. Not everyone is so lucky. But this made me think about the availability of cancer treatment in the United States. Foundations like The American Cancer Society raise millions of dollars every year. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a good thing, but I do question where the money is used. A majority of the money raised during fundraisers like Relay For Life goes to cancer research, and very little goes immediately to cancer treatment. Personally, I think that curing those who are already facing cancer is equally as important as preventing people from getting cancer in the future curing cancer in the future begins with curing cancer now. Is the right way to find a cure to cancer by treating what already exists or by researching the cause?