I am human; I am vulnerable
by Elizabeth ~ June 8th, 2009. Filed under: General.I heard last week from a close friend that she has cancer and it seems to have spread to more than one site. I am devastated. She is super-conscious of health issues – careful of her diet, exercises regularly — yoga, Reiki, meditation . . . and now this!
I feel very vulnerable. Is there any hope for our human condition?
I think it is this sense of vulnerability that made me go out yesterday and buy the newly released book, Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie. Haven’t started reading yet.
But I do wonder . . . will I feel more hopeful or more depressed after reading this book??
June 8th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
There is not scape from death and all these books etc to make us feel otherwise are .. I think the Hindus call it “Maya”?
This book will be saying that the chemicals are poisoning us, true enough but even so we have a longer and healthier life span than ever before, spending our time worrying about death instead of living doesn’t help.
Natural to feel helpless with such bad news about a dearest friend! only thing to be done is help her to live whatever time she has left as happy and comfortable as possible; knowing that she is cherished by friends and family.
Ah, well I am very sentimental I think, sorry.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:14 am
Hey, nice post, really well written. You should post more about this.
June 10th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Well, Lourie and Smith certainly take things personally.
“Try it on me!”
Very brave! I don’t think I could do that . . . on the other hand . . .
Yikes! I’m doing it every day, right? Only difference is I do it unconsciously. At least they made a conscious decision to expose themselves to these toxins.
I live in a house with carpets on the floors of most rooms (no Scotch Guard, though!). I drink Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke from either cans or plastic bottles. I eat fruit and vegetables from cans, store my leftovers in plastic containers in the freezer, and—shudder—sometimes reheat or defrost that food in the microwave in the self-same plastic containers. I occasionally drink orange juice that is reconstituted with chemical flavour packages from the chemical companies and I use deodorants and perfumes that are manufactured with who-knows-what chemicals.
There’s no hope for the likes of me.
But, I will finish the book!!!
June 21st, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Further to my reading of the Smith/Lourie book, SLOW DEATH BY RUBBER DUCK, this week the Gov of Canada has moved on this. The Gobe and Mail reports that:
“Health Canada plans to ban the “rubber duck chemicals,” six compounds widely used in the manufacture of soft plastic children’s toys, after similar restrictions in the United States and the European Union.”
A good start, I think.
June 22nd, 2009 at 7:56 am
Elizabeth Thornton,
One thing I learned in college is that sometimes we can do everything to prevent something from happening but it still happens in the end. I am sad by the news of your friend’s health. I know it is hard to take why things happen to her when she regularly does healthy routine–exercise. But I wish you to feel better when you know that her sickness is something me, you and herself could not control. It is out of our control but believing that she is in God’s hand.
I haven’t read the book you have mentioned but I would like to answer to your question. Sometimes, I am the same. I would think that when I read the book about what I am thinking it would help me and ease my feeling. However in the end I still feel the same. I take it that not all things can cure our feeling no matter what we do.
It is my best hope that you will feel better and no matter what your friend will go through. May she goes with all her heart and know that miracle does happen.
Never scare of death and don’t fight it when it comes.
June 22nd, 2009 at 1:57 pm
My friend is not ready to concede defeat yet. She and her husband are off to Scotland to attend a relative’s wedding - in a castle no less. I’ll see them when they pass through Winnipeg at the beginning of August on their way home to Vancouver Island. Once they are home, she will start treatment for the cancer. All the same, as stout Presbyterians, we believe in miracles, and that’s what we are all praying for.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Elizabeth have you heard of Dr. Richard Beliveau? He’s a leading bio chemist from Montreal who’s studied Cancer at a moleculor level.
I’ve also listened to him in person and his research is quite facinating. He indicates 85% of cancer in North America is directly related to diet.
He wrote a book called Foods that fight cancer -very interesting, a bit “technical” but he delves deep into why our high fat diet is killing us.
He says fruits, veggies and maintaining a good weight are the answer to a lot of the cancer’s out there.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Dear Mts. Thornton…
Because I have read many of your books, I think that you will love so much the book “Tuesdays with Morrie” - Mitch Albom. Have you ever read that?
To live, to death is not so important when you really know about love. After we read this book…
“The love is the only rational act.” - Morrie used says.
Many kiss,
Aline
July 24th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I agree with Aline’s comment on “Tuesdays with Morrie”. I actually bought another book and gave it to our Minister, Jack, but he did not take the time to read it.
It is a very spiritual and wonderful book!
Keep your faith and know that God is with you and your Friends
Lilly
July 30th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I saw the MTC production of “Tuesdays with Morrie” a year or so ago and found it very entertaining but also very meaningful and thought-provoking.
November 1st, 2009 at 8:25 am
What a facinating blog. I’ve bookmarked it and added your feed to my RSS Reader