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Some of the medical decisions that families need to make in today's world, are some of the most difficult decisions anyone can ever make. Why is this true?

I have a dear friend who was just diagnosed with Pancreatic and Lymphatic cancer. This is a man in his 40's and has a wife and two daughters. He is my spiritual brother and friend and it hurts me to see the choices they face together as a family in their efforts to help this man treat and fight his cancer. They offered him a surgery which is called a Whipple. My understanding of this procedure is that the head of tip of the pancreas and some of the bile duct, some of the gallbladder and the duodenum is removed. Sometimes they remove a portion of the stomach as they did with my friend. Then my friends family was told that the survival rate after the Whipple surgery for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma is about 20% at about 5 years. Remember now my friend also has Lymphatic cancer. That is the cancer is found in his lymph nodes and that may bring it up to a 40% survival. The statistical survival rate is less then 5% at five years for those patients who receive chemo alone.

Now as to treatment and decisions that one needs to make is limited when one does not have insurance or the financial means for the best treatment possible. To me that is just plain sad and unfair. Why must one human suffer because they are poor while those with financial means get everything possible to help them? Is one person's life more valuable then another person's life?

I have done much research to help my friend and yet what I have learned is really a sad thing. We live in the most wealthiest country in this world and yet people die every day from diseases such as cancer and other conditions and why? Because the decisions on their care is made for those who do not have the outrages price for a cure or at least the help they need to at least be able to fight the disease. After all, when someone is as sick as my friend they can't work and are in great pain and in their minds they are trying to figure out how to just take care of their family.

People all over this world suffer if they do not have money for health insurance, or the proper medical care that is needed to help these ones make good choices and decisions that will help them and their family in the time that they truly need help.
People need to realize that when a person is poor, they do not get to make decisions or choices. This greedy world makes those choices for them. They place them

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