to feel really upset about Caroline ahern and lung cancer

[sarahhammer]

I'm horrified to hear people on the radio showing no sympathy for her, just because she smokes it does not make lung cancer self inflicted!

It drives me mad that people think that just because they don't smoke, drink much or eat rubbish food that they are somehow immune to getting ill.

Everlong
Caroline ahern hasn't chosen to discuss this on here has she ?
I did and you did- there's the link . Total strangers who have opted to air opinions .
I find it distasteful - faulty family gene ; previous cancer; secondary cancer; smoker; gave up smoking .
Like I said , distasteful in my opinion.

What is distasteful Waltons?

It baffles me why people still smoke when they know the risks, somebody I know lost her husband to lung cancer yet she still smokes.

I don't think that's criticising CA, it's an observation, nothing more. Yes, it's a shame she has cancer, it always is with anybody who has cancer.

cathyandclaire is right. She had (genetic) retinoblastoma as a young child. Her risk of developing secondary cancers is higher than that of an average person.

The blame game on this thread is disgusting.

Wishing her a good recovery.

So if someone is hit by a car whilst crossing the road is it their fault for taking that risk?

Loads of non smokers get lung cancer, and it's increasing rapidly among non-smokers. There are lots of environmental factors - eg exposure to glass fibre insulation, living in a radon gas area, being exposed to someone else smoking, pollution from cars etc. Also genetic factors.
Do you deserve to die of cancer because you eat burned toast or live in Cornwall (radon gas area)?

My grandad died of lund cancer caused by being a lifelone smoker. It didn't make his death any less tragic than someone who died of lung cancer unrelated to smoking, or indeed, the death of anyone else. Try seeing someone attempt to breathe when they only have half a lung left for their whole body and then fucking come back and judge them.

And I hate smoking and am v anti-smoking. I don't think smokers 'bring it on themselves' because I am capable of empathy.

Lung, not lund cancer. He didn't have cancer of the Scandinavian detective.

She's gifted. It's very tragic

It'd be tragic even if she wasn't gifted.

Bloody hell can't say anything can you. Of course I meant it's only tragic because she'd gifted

Blimey.

I wish her the very best of luck. Survival rates for lung cancer are improving, not fast as we'd like, but they are, and presumably with her genetic history they'll have been alert enough to catch it quickly.

I think deaths from smoking are always tragic because it looks (from the outside) so bloody pointless. With mountaineers or a parachutist or motorcyclists or people who walk along pavements rather than drive at least there's something you can point to to say yes, they knew the risks, but they made that dangerous choice for a reason. But when tobacco kills someone the only person who's gained anything is the cigarette manufacturers and the taxman. And as MaidofStars pointed out, yes smoking remains very relevant if you have a genetic predisposition to cancer - more so in fact.

Where's the OP gone?

I have lost 2 close relatives recently to Lung Cancer. One was a heavy smoker, the other never smoked.
Both deaths were very, very sad and untimely. It is a shitty disease.
I wish CA well.

I think that whether or not it is self inflicted is completely and utterly irrelevant. I hope she survives.

I assume she is no longer a smoker now

This thread is really upsetting me.

My Dad died of Lung cancer aged 49. He had given up about five years previously, it took Jim years and years to quit but he managed it bless him.

The consultant told him that it could have been the first cigarette that caused it or it could have been the last.

My dad wok up in the night and drowned in his own blood as his tumour tore away from his lung. He spent the last few minutes of his life terrified.

He didn't deserve that, no one does.

People on this thread being so heartless should be fucking ashamed of themselves. Let's hope no one they love, be it a child, parent or whoever makes the mistake of taking up smoking as believ me you see things very differently once it's your loved one.

This is really upsetting news and I find it equally upsetting that certain people feel the need to turn her illness into some lesson on the perils of smoking. I disagree that smokers need warning of the risks – they already know the risks, there’s no getting away from them, quite frankly. People continue to smoke despite all that because it’s an addiction. They know it's bad for them, they know there's a fair chance it will kill them eventually, and furthermore they know how much they are judged by society for their habit. As this thread clearly shows, the judgement doesn't stop even when the poor sods are dying.

People smoke for all sorts of reasons, same as some people drink/take drugs/eat to excess/neglect their health in other ways for all sorts of reasons. People also get ill for all sorts of reasons, some avoidable, some not. It's irrelevant. If someone is ill, they deserve sympathy. If you don't possess the basic level of humanity to offer that without judgement then you need to just keep quiet.

I can only assume that those saying she brought it on herself have somehow managed to live an entirely blameless life and have never stepped out of the house without sunscreen on, have eaten 5 pieces of fruit and veg every day of their lives, have never drunk to excess, never been overweight, never had sex without a condom...never done anything which may jeopardise their health in any way.

I wish Caroline all the best, I think she’s great.

Yes, what a lovely society we live in. I bet the posters on here who hold people personally responsible for dying of cancer and so undeserving of any empathy/sympathy are Tory voters. That's just how the current Tory mind works.
Next thing will be to deny smokers, fat people, whatever other category they can think of medical treatment at all. In fact one of them was arguing that on Mumsnet a couple of days ago.
If it happens to them they'll make use of their private medical insurance though, obv.