Like HIV, I think that many diseases are stigmatized in certain ways. From my perspective, cancer instills within people a particular amount of fear and sympathy. A lot of this comes from awareness. Cancer gets a lot of philanthropic and media attention, and there are many different types infecting many different kinds of people. While HIV needs and gets some fundraising, media coverage, and is more widely experienced than people may think, its association with unprotected sex, and the mentality that it is only relevant to the gay community and/or minorities plays a role in its negative connotation and lesser compassion that is so often found with cancer.
My own autoimmune disorder is sometimes compared to AIDS, but while AIDS is characterized as an underactive immune system (one is more susceptible to externally acquired illnesses), lupus is an overactive immune system (the immune system attacks your own body). I am pretty open about my ailment while trying to live a normal life and keep complaints to a minimum, but most people do not understand it anyway. Because I am able to look relatively healthy most of the time, like many people with HIV for example, people sometimes don't believe me or cannot sympathize with the struggles. I have been around many people with cancer, and while it is completely warranted, they do receive a lot more support both out of a knowledge of what cancer can do/what treatments are like, and the presence of sometimes more visible adversities.
One huge perception of HIV that I don't have to deal with is that many believe the infected individuals are at fault. While poor decisions like using contaminated needles for drugs or having unprotected sex with infected individuals can lead to HIV, there are many people who A.) do these things and never suffer from the disease and B.) who contract it at birth or even by certain medical procedures gone awry, etc. Regardless, people make sex-related "mistakes" all the time. Not only is it unfair for the relative few who contract HIV to be "punished", but it really is not good for anyone to be, sometimes for making one wrong move that changes the course of their life. It reminds me of when young pregnant women are looked down upon even though so many people have premarital sex. Whether they voluntarily had unprotected sex or it was an accident, to an extent it could have happened to any of them. Speaking of vulnerability, HIV effects as many different races, ages, and sexually orientations as cancer.
Arguably, while cancer is not as directly or immediately preventable, many life choices can lead to it. Smoking is one of the most prevalent causes of cancer and the main culprit of lung cancer, and people who smoke now know the risks, yet continue to do it for years-sometimes even after being diagnosed with cancer. Yet, they don't seem to suffer the same way HIV positive/AIDS patients do from what it seems. Other factors like lack of exercise, diet, and exposure to carcinogens can either compound or replace genetic causes of cancer-but people allow it to happen. Of course, they still deserve treatment, compassion, and to be functional members of society whenever possible...and so do the HIV positive.
Did You Know
I actually tried to look up attitudes about cancer versus HIV and did not find much. This gives me an interesting aspect for my own research, in which I think it would be cool to conduct some interviews and have a firsthand resource for statistics and dialogues on people's perceptions. Still, I came across some information about AIDS-related cancers that I never really thought about or heard much of even though it makes sense.
Whenever I think of AIDS and the susceptibility to illness it entails, cancer doesn't come to mind. I think of colds or other viruses capable of killing people with a suppressed immune system; however, people with AIDS are more susceptible to cancer, especially certain types like Kaposi sarcoma.
The following is a graph depicting a relationship between breast cancer and AIDS diagnosis:
Image from: http://dceg.cancer.gov/newsletter/Linkage0307.htmlApparently, the trials of cancer do not transcend that of HIV/AIDS.
For more information, check out: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/AIDS
http://dceg.cancer.gov/newsletter/mar07/figure1.gif
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ReplyDeleteHello Jacquelynne,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Dominick. Of the blogs I have read this week, yours caught my attention for a couple of reasons. Besides the fact that your blog is very genuine, I can certainly tell that your knowledge, or aspiration of learning more, is a step above some of the other bloggers. I'd like to thank you for being so open about your autoimmune disorder. If it weren't for people like you, others might not have a great opportunity to learn firsthand what someone with a disorder might go through. As a student, you know that most of us spend so much time researching material like signs and symptoms, but to hear what it's like to go through them by a person who suffers from a condition such as yours, is very beneficial to changing someones perspective.
I do agree with you about those who have HIV/AIDS are "punished" because they make the same mistakes that we ALL make. They are, at times, looked down upon when in reality they are no different than millions of others who are fortunate enough to escape the virus.
Your comparison between cancer and HIV is interesting to me. It made me realize how ignorant people can be when it comes to health. Cancer is obviously more public in today's world than HIV/AIDS is when it comes to advertisements and things of that nature. Both are potentially fatal conditions. Sometimes I wonder if people "write off", or forget about HIV/AIDS because it is associated with having sex. I feel as if people are less likely to talk about safe sex than they would about starting/quitting smoking. I understand that you might not want your kids to see advertisements of condoms on TV, but would you rather them not practice safe sexual experiences?
One last thing, In your 'Did You Know' section you said you thought it would be cool to conduct some interviews. Which types of people would you interview? Just curious.
Great blog! Looking forward to seeing more of your work in the future. Take care.
Dominick Iannelli
Hello Jacquelynne,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Lydie Joseph, I am sorry to heard of you condition I don't think I would have been so positive about it. And I agree with you most people think HIV positive patients are usually at fault but it is not always the case because some people are born HIV Positive. Stay strong and I wish you the best in the course and good health to you.
Lydie Joseph
Where is the title for your blog. I supplied the first one, now it is up to you to come up with catchy titles for your weekly blog.
ReplyDeleteHIV is linked to this countries morales. It stems back to when the Puritans landed bringing with them the opinions that got them into trouble in England. What I find so amazing now, is that we as a country use sex to sell just about everything and yet when it comes to talking about in in our homes and our schools, we shudder at the thought.
We have no one to blame but ourselves that this epidemic is out of hand; we allowed it to happen. The citizens of this country who stood back and said not in my family because we wouldn't do something like that when all the while we are doing just that.
Actually the cancer program has benefited not only from the money poured into it, but from all the research dollars given to HIV that also focused on cancer. Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma is one that many HIV infected individuals may get.
I am enjoying your blog very much. It is exactly what I had in mind.
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