One would hope that the announcement that Toni Braxton has lupus would help bring some much-needed attention and compassion for the disease. Instead, below we get comments like this (note: Toni Braxton filed for bankruptcy with debts of $50 million- admittedly, a sum I cannot fathom, but a separate issue altogether from illness):
"No, Toni Braxton I am not giving you my hard earned money to get you out of debt. No matter how many stars you bring out or variety acts you have. Instead of shopping sprees how about going to the doctor? Lupus is NOT cancer. You can treat your symptoms and if you take care of yourself, you can live. Bet that girl from the Lion King wished she had Braxton's money. But she's dead now, from cancer not lupus."
No, lupus is not cancer. And cancer is not lupus. And cancer, for god's sake is not the only disease that deserves to be taken seriously! Why are we even bring cancer into the discussion? I'm afraid the cancer people (breast in particular) have done such a great job getting people to care about their disease that there is no compassion left for any other diseases. Infuriating.
It would be nice if one of the online articles covering Toni's lupus announcement would either tell the whole story of the bankruptcy or leave it out, because it is completely clouding the issue of lupus awareness. It is making her announcement entirely ineffective.
1 comment:
I have talked about the cancer-lupus thing a lot, actually. Like, when you try and explain that you're on chemotherapy people go "Oh my god, you have cancer?"
You say, "no, they use it to treat lupus as well."
and they go "oh, thank god. It's only lupus."
It is not that cancer is not terrible, or that cancer does not kill, or that cancer cannot ruin lives, but the difficulties in cancer are VERY DIFFERENT from the ones that people with chronic illnesses (projected 'normal lifespans') face. Namely, that we ARE likely to live. But what on earth is the quality of that life? There have been those dark moments when I wish it would just make a choice and either go away or kill me.
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