Lung cancer

Breathing is such an important part of our lives. Yet, how often do we really think about our lungs? We don't have to do much to take care of them. They just do their job keeping us alive, invisibly. Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer among men and women in the United States. Lung cancer kills more people every year than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. And while raising awareness of and funding research for all types of cancers are important, I believe that lung cancer is a disease that has been greatly overlooked. It's a fact that 1 in 13 men and 1 in 16 women will get lung cancer in their lifetime, and sadly, only 15 percent of those people will survive five years beyond their diagnosis. Approximately 215,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States each year. However, lung cancer research is drastically underfunded. The stigma around lung cancer and the low survival rates have forced lung cancer to remain below the nation's radar.

Ten months ago my mother died from lung cancer. She was my best friend and I miss her dearly. She was only 77 years old, and until her diagnosis, she was so spry and active that I had hoped that she would live to be at least 100. I'm so sad that I don't have her to laugh and cry with and to provide the companionship and support that I cherished. I miss her every day.

Recently, more is being done to raise awareness about lung cancer and funding for research. The National Lung Cancer Partnership (www.NationalLungCancerPartnership.org) has started a run/walk program called Free to Breathe to raise awareness and fund research. Saturday, as part of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, my team will be participating in National Lung Cancer Partnership's Free to Breathe National Lung Cancer 5K Run/Walk.

If you are interested in donating or joining us, visit www.FreetoBreathe.org, click on National Walk, then search for the team name Bowie-Crofton Free to Breathe. For additional information, contact me at bcfreetobreathe@gmail.com.

PATTIE KLEIN

PrayerWalk support

I want to thank the Blade-News for its support since our inception of the Bowie PrayerWalk. We just recently completed 10 years of walking and praying for the community, the homes, the schools, the businesses and the families. Thanks for continuously posting our schedule and location in the paper. God only knows the impact it has had in bringing out new people or simply providing encouragement to the reader knowing that their community is being prayed for. With upcoming city elections taking place this week, we continue to pray for our leaders and their important role in keeping Bowie a great place to live, work and serve. To God be the glory.

TOM KNORR

Bowie

Memorable "Moments"

I just want to take a moment to acknowledge and give the highest praise to Jackie Byrd and her Senior Moments weekly column.

Week after week, Jackie Byrd has provided a most thoughtful, well-written, warm and totally informative column for our local seniors and those who care about senior issues. Senior Moments is the first item I look for when I open up the Blade-News or News-Crier each week. As a professional who works with seniors and their families I can tell you how valuable her column is to this community. We are very fortunate to have such a resource available to us and Jackie Byrd deserves special recognition for her contribution in this area. It is unfortunate for the millions of seniors across this nation that Senior Moments is not a nationally syndicated column; not yet, that is. Just a thought.

JIM WISE

Bowie

Crosswalk dangers

I read with interest the Oct. 22 article, "Time for school: Can you get there safely?" The article illustrated traffic and crosswalk dangers faced by Bowie High School students walking to and from school.

The article noted that the city police force currently has one full-time traffic enforcement officer. I am glad that the City Council recently approved the installation of speed cameras along the Route 450 corridor from St. Pius to Bowie High School. The online Oct. 15, 2009, weekly status report written by the city manager revealed that traffic calming signs placed around the city generally caused drivers to slow down once they saw the sign as per a review of the traffic data.

Consistent traffic difficulties throughout the entire city of Bowie are broader than speeding. Traffic issues include tailgaters, drivers who fail to use proper signals while changing lanes, drivers who barrel through red lights, and drivers who drift into another lane of traffic because they are distracted by the cell phone. While crossing Route 197 recently on a green light, I was almost broadsided by a skidding car that ran through a red light but fortunately stopped in time. In short, aggressive drivers are everywhere.

Specifically, I would like to see additional officers dedicated to traffic enforcement within the city police department as the budget allows. The "Smooth Operator" interagency program that targets aggressive driving could be highlighted frequently in the newspaper and the city newsletter. Perhaps the city police monthly incident reports could contain summary information as to how many moving traffic violation tickets were issued in the city.

PATRICIA REIMER

Bowie

Additional information

Last week an article that I wrote titled "Sex Abuse and Society" appeared in the opinion section. Unfortunately, the contact information was not included with the article. I called on people to contact me if they were interested in receiving more information on sexual abuse support groups. I felt bad that the information was not there for anyone who may have wanted it. The contact information is: Dave and Judy Lorenz, 301-262-6517 or dlorenz@verizon.net, www.siawso.org, www.darknesstolight.org/GetHelp/support_adult_survivor.asp and www.health.umd.edu/programs/sexualassault/resources-sexasst.html.

JUDY LORENZ

Bowie

CSX concerns

I write to call attention to an unfortunate occurrence on Oct. 9, when CSX Railroad cars blocked High Bridge Road for three hours, posing a public safety risk and inconvenience by the blocked intersection. This is a dangerous situation which can be easily avoided. On that day, this heavily used road was blocked by a parked freight train for much of the afternoon, causing an unexpected logistical nightmare for hundreds of local citizens, several school buses and other drivers, as the freight cars sat immobile at the intersection of High Bridge Road and the CSX Railroad tracks. This potential safety risk can be easily avoided by the engineer simply backing up the train to avoid the intersection. I encourage our local leaders to join with the Bowie citizens in urging CSX to redress this terrible practice.

DOROTHY DIGREGORY

Bowie

RAD-ical experience

My neighbor and I attended the free RAD self-defense classes offered through the city of Bowie Police Department. I didn't think I would make it through all four classes, not to mention a simulation on the last day. But with the help of our instructors John and Benny, who were funny and extremely supportive, I made it all the way through. There were ladies in the class from teenagers to over 70 years old. I am so glad I attended.

JANE F. KARL

Bowie

Smokeout

As a smoker you can give a beneficial and greatly appreciated gift to your family, friends and loved ones. Stop smoking. You will smell better, have more money to spend, be healthier, be more popular and you will make the life of those who love you much safer and more enjoyable.

The American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout will occur Nov. 19. This would be a great day to go cold turkey and kick your addiction. If you don't succeed on that day then consider quitting on Christmas Day. It would be the best possible Christmas gift you could give to your loved ones as well as yourself.

If you need help quitting, call the Maryland state-sponsored quit line, 800-QUIT-NOW.

JOHN H. O'HARA

President, Maryland Group

Against Smoker's Pollution

Health insurance

It is time for Congress to pass a bill with a public option which offers health insurance at affordable rates to all Americans. To those who oppose a public option, one need only point out that Medicare and Medicaid have functioned well for decades and have become cornerstones of America's health care system. A public option represents freedom of choice for each individual - it is not a mandate. Some criticize any public option on the ground that the government bureaucracy can't do anything right, while it has led our nation to an enviable position in the world. These same critics complain that a government option would force private insurance firms out of business. If private insurance companies are so much more efficient, surely the people would opt for their policies.

Let us examine some prime examples of actions taken by private nonprofit insurance companies. In 2002/2003, CareFirst, the largest health care insurance firm in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, attempted a merger with Wellpoint Health Networks Inc., a California-based for-profit organization. Proposed terms of the merger would have resulted in millions of dollars in payouts to William Jews and other top CareFirst officials. Despite an estimated net profit of $100,000,000 in 2003, CareFirst increased its premiums the following year. To its credit, the Maryland State Assembly prohibited this proposed merger.

Oct. 10, the Washington Post reported a scandal involving health insurance firms in North Dakota. For example, these firms paid over $15 million in executive bonuses over a five-year period and $400,000 for charter flights. In 2008 Maryland's insurance commissioner halved a proposed $18 million severance payout to (who else) the CEO of CareFirst, our supposed nonprofit. Kudos to the Maryland General Assembly and the state insurance commissioner. Just last month, the Massachusetts state attorney general ordered an inquiry into executive and board compensation of health care nonprofits in the state. This occurred after the chairman of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Massachusetts retired with a $16 million lump sum payment.

Please don't force Americans to rely solely on the "tender mercy" of private health insurance companies - at least give us a choice to select a public option.

HOWARD G. LEATHERWOOD

Bowie

Berlin Wall

Nov. 9 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. To many historians, that event made 1989 as the year that changed the world. It presaged the end of the Soviet empire.

I was in West Berlin in early October 1988, attending the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. One afternoon, I joined a bus load of delegates for a tour of East Berlin's antiquities museum, reputed to have one of the finest collections of ancient Egyptian art. At the boundary line, know as "Checkpoint Charlie," a stern-looking East German policewoman, who could be more fittingly described as a human SUV, inspected every nook and cranny of the bus, even ordering the driver to open the hood.

To me, the dissimilarity between East and West Berlin was striking. The Western zone had the noise, the hustle and bustle, and the energy of a typical American city. The atmosphere in East Berlin was subdued and quiet.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was triggered mainly by the increasing unpopularity of the communist regimes in Eastern and Central Europe and their inability to deliver material goods to their citizens. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev declined the use of military force to support unpopular regimes. For his restraint, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

Historians also cite the significant contributions of two American presidents in ending the Cold War. Ronald Reagan viewed Gorbachev as a potential partner for peace and did not adopt a policy of confrontation with him. George H.W. Bush avoided rubbing Gorbachev's face, figuratively, with the demise of the Soviet empire.

PASTOR B. SISON

Bowie