Epilogue

This was the Epilogue of my book.

This started out to be a short story about the benefits of research and development in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. My maternal grandmother and I had the same cancer, but our outcomes were very different. In the thirty years from the time she died from the disease until I contracted it, there had been enough research done to make Pap tests a part of routine physicals and early detection wasn’t only possible but probable. Also, methods of treating cervical cancer had vastly improved and there were more options for managing and even eliminating it.

Now, twenty-five years later research has led to the identification of the cause of some forms of cervical cancer and a vaccine to help prevent those forms. As a beneficiary of the research, I am most grateful to all those researchers who have worked so hard to make a difference in our lives. It takes time, and it takes money. Every minute and every dollar spent brings us that much closer to a time when we will eradicate this disease and many others.

Life can be difficult enough without adding the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual stress that comes from having cancer or any other disease. Research and development in these areas is critical and I hope everyone will support it by giving generously of their time and money.