Cure

Oh, no! Here we go again with another "awareness conversation" ("Breast cancer: Angelina Jolie starts the conversation," May 16). After the fortunes raised by Race for the Cure and the other breast cancer groups, must we consider having both our breasts removed? I'm beginning to think being a woman is a life-long death sentence. In "starting the conversation," why didn't Angelina Jolie mention how much her surgery, reconstruction and rehabilitation cost? If an initial exam is $3,000, what is the price of the entire procedure?

Oh, no! Here we go again with another "awareness conversation" ("Breast cancer: Angelina Jolie starts the conversation," May 16). After the fortunes raised by Race for the Cure and the other breast cancer groups, must we consider having both our breasts removed? I'm beginning to think being a woman is a life-long death sentence. In "starting the conversation," why didn't Angelina Jolie mention how much her surgery, reconstruction and rehabilitation cost? If an initial exam is $3,000, what is the price of the entire procedure?

I would urge all voters to contact their election board and ask them to include a concise, one-page sample ballot at the polls to study as people wait in the long lines. It sure is irritating to see each voter spending so much time scratching their chin as they study each question and candidate. Many did not receive a sample ballot in the mail, and of those that did, they forgot to bring them. George B. Wroe, Glyndon

It's a dream Ida Heck never really expected to come true. Her family has raised about $1 million since 2005 for research into the rare disorder that afflicts her 8-year-old daughter, Jenna, resulting in cognitive deficits, seizures, long-lasting migraines, glaucoma in one eye and a red birthmark on the right side of her face. She's been driven by a fervent hope that the money would help finance a breakthrough. Yet she had her doubts: "So often you give and give and give and never hear of any findings.

As a retired educator, I read your article about growing student enrollments at area schools with keen interest ("Growing enrollments, aging schools, straitened finances," Aug. 23). In order to promote successful programs, increasing the tax base that supports public schools should be our number one priority if we are to guarantee our students the kind of education they will need in order to compete successfully with the rest of the world. Quinton D. Thompson, Towson

Today is the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure: One-mile "fun" walk for all begins at 8:30 a.m. near Rash Field at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, followed by 5K walk/run for women at 8:40 a.m. A 5K walk/run for all begins at 9:25 a.m. Forms available at 6:30 a.m. Fee: $25. Call: 410-433-7223.Pub Date: 10/04/98

Maryland's leg of the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, held Oct. 18 in Hunt Valley, reached its $3 million goal, the local affiliate announced this week. The final tally shows the event drew 29,000 participants, 2,000 survivors and 1,000 volunteers. More than 75 percent of the money raised stays in Maryland to finance local research programs and assist breast cancer patients. The remaining money goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure headquarters in Dallas, where it assists in national research projects, many of which take place at Maryland's top medical institutions.

David Berdan likes the Komen Maryland Race for the Cure so much, he'll do it twice Sunday, once as the two-time defending champion of the Hunt Valley event and later as a family man whose loved ones have suffered from breast cancer . Before the race, Berdan, 30, said: "If I win again, awesome, because then I'll be interviewed and can talk about the campaign to end this disease. " In fact, the science teacher and cross-county coach at Garrison Forest School in Owings Mills did win again, topping the men's division Sunday morning.

As the sun rose Sunday on the 19th Komen Maryland Race for the Cure, it illuminated a makeshift city nearly the size of Annapolis, all decked out in shades of pink ranging from the palest pastel to the hottest hue. And for one day, everyone looked fabulous in it. Cherub-cheeked toddlers. White-haired grandfathers. Rambunctious teenaged girls. Beefy men with hairy legs. "We are a community. We all have something in common," said all-in-pink Susan Willingham of Baltimore as she bounced up and down trying to stay warm.

An increasing body of evidence suggests that walking can cure what ails you.A Finnish study last year, significant for the large number of people who participated (16,000), showed that those who take as few as six brisk, 30-minute walks a month have a 43 percent lower risk of premature death than non-exercisers and a 29 percent lower risk than occasional exercisers.Until the 1970s, doctors and therapists commonly treated chronic back pain with bed rest. Then studies showed that being a full-time couch potato was less likely to cure patients than to make them one with the couch.

John Carroll junior Alex Kane, member of Girl Scout Troop 1382, was awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting. To receive this honor, a girl must use her organizational, leadership, project management and teamwork skills to serve her community. Alex created "Bark for a Cure. " She solicited pictures, in the form of a contest, and created a canine calendar. The proceeds from the sale of this calendar went to benefit cancer research and treatment. Alex will be formally recognized by the Girl Scout organization this spring.

The other day, I stumbled across a conversation about homosexuality on a local Christian radio station. There were three people talking, and after the predictable hemming and hawing about loving the sinner and hating the sin (though in this case, the sin and sinner seemed so inextricably linked when it comes to sexual activity that the distinction was largely irrelevant), one of them homed in on a grand observation. "Notice how you don't see many images of older people in gay literature and media.

Federal deficits are too large, and mounting national debt threatens future generations. But as Democrats and Republicans squabble over the mandatory spending cuts known as sequestration that went into effect Friday night, they are failing to face the facts of our budget situation or acknowledge the lessons of history. Since 2007, annual federal spending is up $1 trillion, and deficits jumped from $161 billion to $1.2 trillion over five years. Higher taxes on the wealthy and Obamacare levies will pull down the gap in 2014, but then it will rise again.

A Mississippi infant born with HIV has become the first child cured of the deadly virus, leaving hope that the disease can be eliminated in the youngest patients, scientists from Johns Hopkins Children's Center and other institutions said Sunday. The infant, who was born to an HIV-infected mother, was given antiretroviral treatment beginning 30 hours after birth. Scientists believe the early intervention may have proven key to curing the child, who is now 2 1/2 years old. The infant has been determined “functionally cured,” said the scientists, some of whom are from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Editor: Like many Harford County residents, I was thrilled that the Ravens won the Super Bowl this year. However, for me, one of the most important parts of this event was the attention given to OJ Brigance and his fight against ALS, better known to many as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Having lost a very good friend, Dave Simmons, to this dreadful disease, I am hoping that many people will find out more about this condition and make charitable contributions to organizations fighting to find detection, prevention and a cure for this illness.

Mark Twain supposedly quipped, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. " For Maryland Republicans, the joke is no laughing matter. Gov. Martin O'Malley and Democrats all but engineered the demise of the Maryland GOP through redistricting at the congressional level. It showed in the trouncing of Republican candidates in the election earlier this month. The contest between 10-term Republican incumbent Roscoe Bartlett and challenger John Delaney in the 6th Congressional District says it all: 58.6 percent for Mr. Delaney and 38.1 for Mr. Bartlett.

Komen Maryland counts on Race for the Cure to pay for programs and support services related to breast cancer , but as the date for the 20th annual event approaches the group is facing steep declines in the number of people signed up and the amount of money raised. A little more than two weeks before the Oct. 21 event in Hunt Valley, registrations for the run/walk are off 42 percent and donations are down 55 percent, Komen Maryland disclosed Thursday. The organization blames the weak economy and tightened purse strings, but marketing experts say it's more likely fallout from the controversial decision by its parent organization earlier this year to stop funding the social services organization Planned Parenthood.

I would urge all voters to contact their election board and ask them to include a concise, one-page sample ballot at the polls to study as people wait in the long lines. It sure is irritating to see each voter spending so much time scratching their chin as they study each question and candidate. Many did not receive a sample ballot in the mail, and of those that did, they forgot to bring them. George B. Wroe, Glyndon

The sun had barely risen Sunday morning as Geneva Frazier shimmied in a conga line, her pink feather boa flouncing while "I Will Survive" blared over the loudspeakers at Komen Maryland's Race for the Cure. This is the fourth year her family has run the Hunt Valley race, and it has been two years since her cousin, Patricia Gross, died of breast cancer . "It's hard," Frazier said. "But it's a celebration. Everybody's here for the same reason. " However, the turnout Sunday was not as big as in previous years.