I wrote on DU last week that my husband [View all]

[spartan61]

was in Hospice. He passed away three days ago. Here is a letter my son wrote but is still trying to figure out where to send it for the greatest impact.. He doesn't want to name names or specific doctors.
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My father died yesterday. Although he had cancer, I believe he did not ultimately die from it. He died from poor quality, mismanaged healthcare in Central Florida and from his physician-prescribed treatment to cancer. Like sheep led to slaughter, the current state of healthcare, and the sanctioned treatments for cancer only hastened my father’s death. I assume this is widespread.

I have learned two important things from this experience. First, the standard treatments for cancer do not work for the great majority of patients and, two; do not solely trust your doctor to make the critical decisions that will cost you your life.

This is what happened to my Dad. My Dad had a bout with skin cancer two years ago in which he received surgery and radiation. Although, the surgery disfigured his face, he was assured they got all the cancer and that the "margins" were good. After the procedures, there were no additional pet scans or tests to determine if the cancer was contained. Not until he starting losing his balance last summer, and underwent an MRI, was he diagnosed with 3 brain lesions. We should have realized before this point that a pro-active approach to monitoring his cancer should have been prescribed. What was the doctor thinking? Was this standard procedure? We should have cried malpractice!

When the vital information was not forthcoming from the doctors we should have asked many crucial questions. Such as what specific cancer does he have? What stage is the cancer? What is the prognosis? What are the treatments? What are the success rates for the treatments? What other alternative treatments are there? The doctors did not disclose any vital information that my father needed. There was a surreal sense of nonchalance. They didn’t even mention the word cancer…perhaps the word lesions sounds less dire? This whole dance around the truth seemed protocol.

I am pretty sure most people simply go along thinking that their doctor knows best but there were no viable answers- only more horrible treatments. After the cancer spread unchecked for two years, the doctor ordered lethal doses of radiation that quickly shut down his body.

When his body failed and he entered the hospital, the quality of care did not improve. When he stopped eating food at the hospital, someone of authority (not GOD) decided not to let him eat or drink. This was not even discussed with our family nor would it have been my father’s decision. He was in the fight of his life and he was determined not to lose. After my father told my sister that he was starving, she demanded that they immediately implement a feeding tube. The nonchalant delay of a week had passed without food and his condition worsened. We were met by the doctor’s nurse practitioner who simply rolled here eyes and said that it was "criminal" to feed him! Why she was even involved at this point will anger me forever.

From there, he entered into hospice and was very well taken care of at Tuscany House in Summerfield where he died on Wednesday March 27th. The people at this facility had a great deal of compassion. As epidemic levels of cancer patients arrive at hospice, I can only imagine what they may think is going on with healthcare in Central Florida…

If anyone studies the survival statistics of various cancers treated with the sanctioned treatments of radiation and chemotherapy, they would be flabbergasted. They would find that radiation and chemo treatments for many people only hasten their death. The number of cures is slim to nil. They say hindsight is 20-20, but if I knew this earlier I would have researched and attempted an alternative cancer treatment. Alternative cancer treatments appear to have major potential with none of the negative side-effects of of radiation and chemo. Big Pharma and Government have such a strangle-hold on OUR healthcare due to the gigantic revenue streams that researching alternative treatments are purposely suppressed. Thousands of lives are at risk by suppressing this truth and subsequently these companies, the government and the healthcare system as a whole are complicit. When 1 out of every 2 males and 1 out of every 3 females develop cancer in their lifetimes, this is a great travesty.

In memory of my Dad, I have put these thoughts to paper for the sake of humanity with the hope that I can help at least one person if not more. In summary, for the sake of your own long-term health (and that of your loved ones) please understand that big phama, and by proxy- your doctors do not have your best interest at stake. Consider your doctor’s advice only in context to your own research for your own course of treatment. And please don’t get sick in Central Florida.

Rough Draft 3-29-13