For years, the pharmaceutical companies have been developing more then just drugs! Our treating physicians and our researchers have also been very creative, performing feats beyond what we normally give them credit.

Together, they have created a cadre of patients who are guilty of not measuring up to the task while also avoiding any responsibility for their possible shortcomings or failures.

How often have we heard about patients who failed surgery or failed a hormone blockade? We, the patients have not measured up, we are the failures! When was the last time you heard that the surgery failed or that the hormone blockade failed to control the cancer?

The failure is in the procedure or the treatment, not the patient. We survivors have enough on our plate; we do not need to be accused of also being failures!

Joel T. Nowak, MA., MSW