Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act

Please note, the House of Representatives passed this bill in September 2008. The Senate and the President have yet to act. Please click on the hyperlink below to show your support for this legislation. Thanks.

From a nurse: I'll never forget the look in my patients' eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and nobreast. I remember begging the Doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies. So there I sat with my patients, giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank You' they muttered.

A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a Mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies anoutpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery. It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it! Please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through' Mastectomy where women are forcedto go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their Web page with a petition drive to show support. Last year over half the House signed on. Please sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name, state, and zip code.

http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/petition/signpetition.php


This takes about 2 seconds. PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family, and on behalf of all women, THANKS.

Save the Ta Tas!

As I've posted on myspace, please remember that this month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you have breasts -- or someone you love does -- or, quite frankly, you like 'em, please encourage others to get their breast exams.

Sixteen years ago this month, my Grandma passed from cancer. She had breast cancer earlier in her life, and despite a mastectomy, it came back with a vengeance sixteen years ago. By the time it was caught, it had metastasized throughout her body and there was no hope for a cure, only to buy some time. When I left for college that fall, I wasn't convinced I'd see her again. Only by the grace of God and my dear friends at Cottey, I was able to see her just a few days before she passed.

She was diagnosed in July and passed in October. I miss her still.

Please check out my friend Jay's blog at Plays with Sirens -- the link is over to the right. Clay Township Fire Department in South Bend is doing a 'Real Men Wear Pink' month. I applaud the Clay Township Fire Department for their dedication to this cause. Jay, love you and your fellow fire and EMS folks for your dedication to the cause.