Statistics Can Drive You Crazy
Recently, I found a statistic in the Beating Cancer with Nutrition book that said a breast cancer diagnosis takes 19 years off a woman's life. 19 years! It doesn't give any background for that calculation, which I assume is an average, it just throws it out there like a sizzling hot meteorite. Ouch!
Personally, I decided that I get to add two years to my life, just from being pissed off and ornery as a result of the diagnosis.
Survival and cure statistics are very frustrating to look at when you're diagnosed. Most stats seem to consider five to seven year relapse/survival rates. Five to seven years! Only a few look at ten years. I'm thinking, wait a second. What about fifteen years? Twenty years? I am only 40 years old!
A commercial keeps airing when I watch TV where breast cancer survivors state how long they've been a survivor. I find that hard to watch. I think I'm supposed to be excited about the chance of celebrating a two-year survival or ten-year survival.
Thing is, I've been thinking that living to 85 is not going to be enough time. How inspirational do I find it when people seem to suggest I should throw a party when I make it to 47?
I think there is only one solution to this: stop looking at statistics. Mute the TV. Remember that I'm an individual who hasn't lived in accordance with many statistics so far in life. Why would I start now?
And if anyone has a statistic to share with me right now, you might want to wait. I'm feeling cranky. Which is okay because, like I say, that adds two more years to my life.
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