WP1 - Prewriting Assignment 3

Cancer is one of the scariest words that can come out of a doctor's mouth. Cancer is vicious, destructive and deadly. And even though there are ways to fight the disease, it is extremely difficult. And for many, the battle is ultimately lost to death.

In 2006 over 500,000 American's lost their life to cancer, contributing to 23.1% of all human deaths in the United States. To put that number in comparison, that's more than the number of people who died from diabetes, influenza, alzheimers and all other unintentional accidents combined.

But death is simply the end result. Trying to fight and battle cancer is perhaps the most difficult part of all. For many, chemotherapy is the best option, because this treatment kills cells that multiply (including cancer).

Chemotherapy also has many adverse affects. The most visible sign is hair loss, which can make even a beautiful woman with long hair go bald in a matter of weeks, just like the girl in the photograph.

Chemotherapy doesn't stop with your physical appearance. It also affects the way that you feel. Most people who undergo chemotherapy feel nausea and vomit regularly. Chemotherapy is also very tiring, and can leave victims feeling exhausted constnatly. And even if it works and kills the cancer cells in your body, the results can come at a cost. Chemotherapy can also cause damage to your heart, liver and kidney which can also cause other health problems.

All of this information provides important context for the photograph I have chosen. Not only does the bald appearance of the girl give a clue into what she is dealing with. But it's important to understand why chemotherapy is hard, and what this girl has probably been through. Even with great treatment from wonderful doctors, there is a very real possibility that the girl could die. Or has died from chemotherapy.

I also look into the mother's eyes and wonder if there is a financial situation in this story. Deciding what kind of chemicals, duration and even where you undergo the treatment can have major implications on the cost of chemotherapy. In this picture it looks like the girl is in a hospital (the most expensive choice) which means the mother is probably paying a lot for her treatment.

All of this makes you think about the story behind this photograph. What kind of stress has this family been through? What bills do they have to face on a weekly basis? And for the poor little girl, what has this done to her? Does she enjoy life at all any more? Will she get better?

Cancer is a terrible disease, and this photograph to me brings a human face to the problem. Cancer kills people just like us. Our friends and relatives. The people closest to us. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men have a chance of developing cancer in their lifetime.

What are you doing about it?

Works Cited

"Cancer Statistics 2009"A Presentation from the American Cancer Society. 2009. American Cancer Society. ACS

"Cancer." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 01 October 2004, 9:35 CST. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 10 Aug. 2004. <Cancer> <Chemotherapy>