Dana Reeve, widow of Christopher Reeve, has died of lung cancer

[IdahoMom]

Thanks for chiming in and you know what, IdahoMom? What if they were?

Many heart attacks and diabetes deaths are due in part to lifestyle choices. My parents and grandparents smoked for many years. MY grandpa died of heart disease. My parents quit -- are still here at 74. My grandma quit at 81 (can you imagine?), and died at 87, of breast cancer!

If she had died of lung cancer instead, would her death have been different or of less import?

Should research be related to lifestyle and behavior? What about poor eating and exercise choices? What about sexual partners? Drinking? Not dealing well with stress? Mental illness?

This just happens to be a pet peeve of mine, since I am a former smoker, as is my husband and a number of family members and friends. We're pretty nice people -- I hate thinking that if we got lung cancer, on top of everything else, people would be saying, "Tsk, tsk..."

Eve

Not wanting to hijack Dana Reeve's tribute thread, but I agree with you. Our society has such disdain for smokers! Sick is sick, and I wish cancer on no one! I personally cannot bear to be around smoke- it makes me sick- but I have alot of smokers in my life that I love as much as the non-smokers in my life!

 

[eve]

Not wanting to hijack Dana Reeve's tribute thread, but I agree with you. Our society has such disdain for smokers! Sick is sick, and I wish cancer on no one! I personally cannot bear to be around smoke- it makes me sick- but I have alot of smokers in my life that I love as much as the non-smokers in my life!

Thanks IdahoMom and I just bet Dana Reeve would agree with us! Just think what she endured, along with her husband. Someone might say, "He shouldn't have jumped horses!" or whatever! Like you said, "sick is sick."

Back to Dana Reeve, what a great woman. So loving. She was taken too young. She had so much spirit. God must have needed her. I pray for her son.

Eve

 

[j2mirish]

Thanks for chiming in and you know what, IdahoMom? What if they were?

Many heart attacks and diabetes deaths are due in part to lifestyle choices. My parents and grandparents smoked for many years. MY grandpa died of heart disease. My parents quit -- are still here at 74. My grandma quit at 81 (can you imagine?), and died at 87, of breast cancer!

If she had died of lung cancer instead, would her death have been different or of less import?

Should research be related to lifestyle and behavior? What about poor eating and exercise choices? What about sexual partners? Drinking? Not dealing well with stress? Mental illness?

This just happens to be a pet peeve of mine, since I am a former smoker, as is my husband and a number of family members and friends. We're pretty nice people -- I hate thinking that if we got lung cancer, on top of everything else, people would be saying, "Tsk, tsk..."

Eve

how very well spoken------------:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Lance Armstrong Comforts Dana Reeve's Son


Lance Armstrong spent Wednesday morning comforting 13-year-old Will Reeve, less than two days after his mother, Dana Reeve, died of lung cancer.

"I would say that his spirits were pretty good considering that, in the last 18 months, he's lost his father, his mother and his grandmother," Armstrong told syndicated entertainment show "Inside Edition." "In situations like this," Armstrong said, "all you can do is say, `Hey buddy, I'm here if you want to go hang out, if you want to play games, whatever you want to do, I'm here.'"

More: http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/ap/20060309/114195504000.html

 

[indigomood]

Hollywood, CA (AHN) – Hollywood funnyman and Oscar-winner, Robin Williams vows to care for Christopher and Dana Reeve's 13-year-old orphaned son, Will.

The former Superman star passed away in October 2004, and wife died of lung cancer last week.

Reeves and Williams became close friends while studying acting together at the Juilliard School of drama in New York City.

Robin Williams To Care For Reeves' Son

 

[englishleigh]

Hollywood, CA (AHN) – Hollywood funnyman and Oscar-winner, Robin Williams vows to care for Christopher and Dana Reeve's 13-year-old orphaned son, Will.

The former Superman star passed away in October 2004, and wife died of lung cancer last week.

Reeves and Williams became close friends while studying acting together at the Juilliard School of drama in New York City.

Robin Williams To Care For Reeves' Son

I had heard that a close family friend was going to finish raising Will, b/c this friend had a son Will's age that was Will's best friend. This fits, but I had no idea it was Robin. Will will grow up laughing, and he could sure use some happiness and laughter in his life. God bless him, and God bless the Williams family.

 

[IdahoMom]

I still haven't heard about a funeral for her.

I think Will is in good hands.

 

[BrendaStar]

I still haven't heard about a funeral for her.

I read there was a private funeral for her at a friend's house in the Hampton's?
It was done with the grace and dignity that Dana led her life.

God bless Robin Williams for taking on the pleasure of raising Will. It will be a blessing for both of these gifted people.

 

[HeartofTexas]

Thanks for chiming in and you know what, IdahoMom? What if they were?

Many heart attacks and diabetes deaths are due in part to lifestyle choices. My parents and grandparents smoked for many years. MY grandpa died of heart disease. My parents quit -- are still here at 74. My grandma quit at 81 (can you imagine?), and died at 87, of breast cancer!

If she had died of lung cancer instead, would her death have been different or of less import?

Should research be related to lifestyle and behavior? What about poor eating and exercise choices? What about sexual partners? Drinking? Not dealing well with stress? Mental illness?

This just happens to be a pet peeve of mine, since I am a former smoker, as is my husband and a number of family members and friends. We're pretty nice people -- I hate thinking that if we got lung cancer, on top of everything else, people would be saying, "Tsk, tsk..."

Eve

What a great post, Eve. Very well said.

I have a few things to add to the talk re lung cancer and smoking.

First, many people who die of lung cancer (like my sister) have it only because the first cancer in their body metastisizes (sp?) to another area. Usually when cancer metastisizes, it goes to the brain, the lungs, or the liver. If that's the case, then the lung cancer they have is in no way related to smoking.

Second, I have a friend who is the head of a very large hospital, and he says there is absolutely no empirical evidence to show that second-hand smoke is related to lung cancer. I've never done any research on this, so please don't bash me for saying it. But the man who said this is probably the brightest man I've ever known and, if he says it, I believe him. But our society has literally demonized smoking and smokers to the point that it's ludicrous. I think drug dealers are treated with more respect than smokers in our society, and when you can make that statement with a straight face, something is definitely wrong.

Personally, I don't think that smoking causes lung cancer. If it did, everyone who smoked would get it, and that's definitely not the case. I don't think they yet know what causes most cancers, including lung cancer, and Dana Reeves' recent death clearly illustrates there are many unknown factors that cause it. I hope one day they discover what causes all cancers... but until that day comes, demonizing a person because they smoke is not going to help find the real answers.

 

[txsvicki]

My in law family members who died of lung and throat cancer were heavy drinker and smokers. I believe this is somehow related in some people who develop this type of cancer. My family who never drank or smoked have all lived up into the late 80's and 90's and not one case of lung or throat cancer. My husband's family and my uncle in law's has a high rate of emphysema at young ages in the ones who smoked. There's got to be genetic reasons why younger people get smoking related diseases. I think it's been said that Dana Reeves family had quite a bit of cancer and then her stress levels had to be so high and been bad for her immune system.

 

[fran]

Although I can't stand it when Robin Williams is on talk shows, he acts so goofy it's embarrassing, I've liked him as an actor and he seemed like a nice guy. I've heard for many years, since Christopher Reeves' accident, how Robin Williams has stood by their family and helped them out even financially. This news of him taking Dana and Christopher's son, warms my heart and doesn't surprise me at all.

We all should have friends as true as Robin Williams. What a truly beautiful human being.

fran

 

[Marthatex]

Second-hand smoke:

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK900E&b=35422

American Lung Association

The EPA also lists second-hand smoke as a known carginogen.

 

[eve]

What a great post, Eve. Very well said.

I have a few things to add to the talk re lung cancer and smoking.

First, many people who die of lung cancer (like my sister) have it only because the first cancer in their body metastisizes (sp?) to another area. Usually when cancer metastisizes, it goes to the brain, the lungs, or the liver. If that's the case, then the lung cancer they have is in no way related to smoking.

Second, I have a friend who is the head of a very large hospital, and he says there is absolutely no empirical evidence to show that second-hand smoke is related to lung cancer. I've never done any research on this, so please don't bash me for saying it. But the man who said this is probably the brightest man I've ever known and, if he says it, I believe him. But our society has literally demonized smoking and smokers to the point that it's ludicrous. I think drug dealers are treated with more respect than smokers in our society, and when you can make that statement with a straight face, something is definitely wrong.

Personally, I don't think that smoking causes lung cancer. If it did, everyone who smoked would get it, and that's definitely not the case. I don't think they yet know what causes most cancers, including lung cancer, and Dana Reeves' recent death clearly illustrates there are many unknown factors that cause it. I hope one day they discover what causes all cancers... but until that day comes, demonizing a person because they smoke is not going to help find the real answers.

Thanks, HOT, and BTW, I agree with your post wholeheartedly. While I do agree there is no doubt smoking is not good, many other factors play into disease and there are many other poor lifestyle choices people make which are in no way stigmatized like smoking.

A person I work with complains thats second hand smoke drifts in from people smoking outside our building during breaks and that it triggers her asthma. This person is probably 80 pounds overweight, has had gastric bypass surgery and a hip replacement. She never exercises and doesn't eat properly, imo. Her children are taking after her, too, which I feel bad about. But after all, it is her her right to live the way she wishes. The people outside the building have their rights too, though, and I admit that I find her contemptuous attitude about it very irritating.

Personally I think the colossal fuss made of second hand smoke is ridiculous and I have relatives in the scientific/medical field (specifically; four docs, two veterinarians, one former assistant dean of nursing at a big ten university, one researcher at NIH) and we have actually have had this discussion during family get-togethers. The reason for the discussion was the smoking ban issue and because there were a number of former smokers and a few smokers in the group. They all seem to largely agree with your friend.

Time will tell, but I hate the way this demonizing goes on and also affects research into Dana Reeve's killer.

I am so happy Will will have funny man Robin Williams in his life. I like Robin more all the time.

Eve

 

[Marthatex]

Well, I don't smoke and if some employees from Starbucks or wherever are just sitting outside smoking, it makes me sick to just walk by and breathe a little of it in. I think people who smoke are used to it, but have no idea of the noxious effect on others.

But I don't think we should demonize the people,, they are addicted, we should demonize the HABIT, just the same as too much drinking is bad for you, over-eating is bad for you, drinking while driving, addicted cell phone users are a hazard.

The tobacco industry is a huge lobby, smoking is a number one killer, it is a known carcinogen and we should discourage its use as much as possible in our society IMO. The health costs are something our entire society pays for.

 

[HeartofTexas]

Thanks for all of the great input on this subject everyone. I think there are so many different ways to contract cancer, and especially lung cancer, that it would be advantageous for our society to learn all of the ways instead of just blaming it on smoking. I think it probably has a lot to do with our immune systems, etc. I also think (definitely not medical knowledge, but just my opinion) that each of us has a weakened area in our own body where stress takes its toll. Some people, when under stress, get headaches, whereas others get indigestion, or another might get asthma, or another might reach for a tums. I think it is those weakened areas in each individual person that cancer could possibly strike. Again, JMHO.

Anyway, thanks for a nice discussion on it with no bashing for different opinions.

 

[BrendaStar]

From what I read, lung cancer in paramenopausal women with no history of smoking, is more influenced by estrogen than anything else.

 

[Marthatex]

Estrogen helps tumors to grow, breast cancer too. Evidently women are more affected by smoking also, men tolerate it better I guess because of the lack of estrogen.

 

[eve]

From what I read, lung cancer in paramenopausal women with no history of smoking, is more influenced by estrogen than anything else.

Para- is that before after during, or what? :blushing: Thanks!

Eve

 

[BrendaStar]

Before

 

[fran]

My BIL has lung, throat, etc cancer and his doc said the biggest contributing factor to it was his job (welder). I also believe he may have had a propensity to get cancer as his mom died from a form of it when he was 12 and his niece just died from another form.

My hubby has adverse health affects (nerve damage) from his job of thirty odd years too, metal finishing. He was a manager and not even working directly with the product, but the smell when you entered his office was {{phew}}. He didn't even notice it, but if you weren't around it all the time as I, it was definitely there.

Anyway, we also used to live in one of the worst smog areas in the U.S. Close to where they used to have a big steel mill. I couldn't believe the number of children who had asthma in that area.

I think there are many things that contribute to diseases but we can't blame any one thing. It's just the way it goes. Some of it is progress and some is because we have a longer life expectancy. Over exposure to just about anything can cause adverse effects, IMO.

Like my FIL says, even with medicine, you treat the effects of one condition but you have to give somewhere else (side effects). That's the way our society is,......our progress in itself can be causing some of these diseases. But who wants to be the first to give up their car, or the majority of the conveniences in our home?

I'm really sad that Dana Reeves was taken so young. After all those years of taking care of her sweet husband, it just doesn't seem fare that she was then stricken with such a horrible disease. But like some have said, at least now she's with the love of her life.

Thank goodness the Reeves had such a wonderful friend as Robin Williams. God Bless him for stepping up to the plate with their son.

JMHO
fran