For this project, I chose to contact the American Cancer Society. I was interested in this because my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago. She has never smoked a day in her life, and does not have previous family history to support the diagnosis. The cause of her cancer is said to be unknown. Luckily, she is doing well. I wanted to contact the American Cancer Society to learn more about lung cancer and hear what they had to say on the subject.
In particular, I wanted to know why more was not being done to make people aware of the less obvious causes of lung cancer. Up until my mom was diagnosed, I assumed that lung cancer really only developed if one smoked. I could not believe that even as a teenager, I was oblivious to the fact that lung cancer could be caused by things other than smoking. I also sometimes encounter this when I tell people that my mom has lung cancer. I tell them she has never smoked, and they can’t quite believe it; they say “Are you sure?” I am sure, and the fact that there is such a misunderstanding leads me to believe that not enough is being done to ensure that people are aware of the causes of lung cancer aside from smoking. I attribute this lack of understanding in part to the media, who does a very good job of encouraging people not to smoke because it will lead to cancer, but offers no other information as to how to prevent the disease. This misunderstanding has really affected me, so I was, of course, curious to contact a group who knew a lot about the topic.
I emailed the American Cancer Society on Tuesday. It was quite simple; I simply went to the website, and found the 'Contact Us' section. I filled out the form, and selected my purpose as 'Student Homework'. In it, I described the project that we are doing and my personal reasons for wanting to contact the ACS. I asked them why more is not being done to make people aware of the causes of lung cancer. I also asked them why, if lung cancer can be caused by things other than smoking, this is not made clear to people. I knew that the ACS was not the group responsible for this misguidance, but I knew that they would be able to provide me with the most worthwhile information, so I chose to contact them. I received an email the next day thanking me for contacting the ACS and telling me that my question would be answered in 2-3 business days. I was impressed at this because I wasn’t sure I’d get a response! Sure enough, two days later, I received an email. In it, a woman named Mary explained some things to me:
"Thank you for your interest in the fight against cancer. Your point that lung cancer is found in those who have never smoked is well taken; however, the American Cancer Society focuses on, and places such a great importance on educating people on the hazards of tobacco use in relation to cancer because tobacco use causes nearly one in five deaths in the United States...Because smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society, the American Cancer Society feels a strong obligation to provide the public, particularly children and adolescents, with the facts about tobacco use. Tobacco control is a priority for the American Cancer Society, and we are committed to doing everything possible to reduce the terrible toll smoking exacts on the American public...You may wish to review our publication "Second Hand Smoke” which states that second hand smoke has been linked to lung cancer in non-smokers, in fact about 3,400 nonsmoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of breathing second hand smoke..."
After reading this information, I felt almost as if this part of the email was copied and pasted from a document about what lung cancer is, rather than written. For example, I said in my email that secondhand smoke was not the cause, and Mary proceeded to tell me that I should read the article "Secondhand Smoke". I was pleased, however, that towards the end of the email Mary answered my request of giving me the names of other people I could contact if she couldn't provide me with information. She did both, providing me with information and the names of other groups to contact. I feel that this shows that this part of my email was read and taken into consideration. Most importantly, she answered my question. I understand now that the reason why ACS focuses so strongly on tobacco prevention is because it is of utmost importance to them.
It was not until I real who Mary was that I felt that I hadn't been very successful. All the while, I had assumed that Mary was some official from the American Cancer Society. This was not the case. Under her name read "Online Cancer Information Specialist". I had contacted the ACS in hopes of reaching a high ranking official in power. Instead, I was given an overview of lung cancer and some helpful links on the subject from an online specialist.
Though I wish I had been able to dig deeper into the subject, I think I learned more about why we were assigned this project by not being as successful, if that makes sense. I understand why Mr. Currin assigned this action project now that I have completed it. Trying to contact the head of an important group proved to be very difficult. It reminds me of the situation that the Joads and their fellow Okies find themselves in. The jobs and therefore the lives of these people are being consumed by the East. They travel all over California, and encounter so many people along the way, from people just like them to individuals who hold power above them. None of these people can explain why things are turning out how they are. Like the people in the novel, the individuals in our class are simply trying to find out why certain situations are how they are. Perhaps part of the reason why some of these questions cannot be answered is because the people being asked don’t quite know how to answer them. This project is, therefore, the perfect example of the plight one endures in trying to discover why things are the way they are. It also shows that things really haven’t changed over the years. We are very similar to the Joads in that we want reasons for the circumstances that we experience. Though we may not always find the answers that we search for, we must remember that we are still gaining something out of the situation by asking.
