Bill...the Anti-Cancer Man

It's not uncommon to have a medical professional in my car, especially going to/from the airport.  It is unusual to hear what I heard on this ride. 

I picked up Bill from the airport, in from Salt Lake City, where it was apparently snowing.  We chatted about the weather here and his most recent trip to London before discussing what brought him.  You see, Bill was in "health care".  He worked for a hospital in Mexico and was here for a 4 day conference in Scottsdale. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, he dropped the grenade...

"If there's one thing I've learned from all my years in the medical industry, it's this... don't get sick." BOOM!

He went on to bemoan how our society takes their health and healthcare for granted. "People think they can live any way they want and modern medicine will just fix it if they get sick...especially cancer." 

Having a family with a history of cancer, I steered the conversation down a slightly new path. In my family alone, there have been four cases of cancer (or cancer-related diseases), and each of them unique.  I find that randomness somewhat comforting...  Knock on wood, I've been very healthy throughout my life. 

"You know, I've read (or seen) that viruses are being used to cure certain cancers," I said. 

"Yes. We're doing that at my hospital in Mexico. We're using viral-therapy and immuno-therapy to cure cancers." BOOM! Another bombshell!

"A virus was discovered in the digestive system of healthy children called Rigvir.  It's a benign virus and does no harm to the body but it attacks cancer, infects it, and destroys it." This was a fascinating topic that I needed to hear more about, so I asked "what cancer has it been most effective at combating?"

"Melanoma." BOOM! "Up until recently, contracting melanoma that metasticized carried a fatality rate of 80%. With viral therapy, it's more like 20%." BOOM! The back of my car was in shambles from the bombshells he was dropping. 

"And there are other therapies available and effective that we're using.  Hyperthermia, for one. Because tumors cannot dissipate heat, probes are inserted into them and extreme heat applied, effectively frying it. Another therapy inserts two electrodes into the tumor, voltage is applied, and the arc across the gap within the tumor effectively fries it." BOOM!

Bill was flooding me with incredible information, but the biggest bomb was yet to come.  

"Unfortunately, none of this is legal in the United States.  If I ever got cancer, I'd go to Mexico, Japan, Germany or other countries in eastern Europe. The chemotherapy industry in the U.S. is too large. ...billions of dollars a year. And while the argument against these therapies is typically patient safety, it's overlooked that the fourth largest killer in the U.S. is the appropriate and proper administration of pharmaceuticals." BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It was like the grand finale of a firework show, except instead of pretty colors of phosphorous, it was explosions of a very different type. The MOAB just rocked my Jaguar!

It's not often that I shutdown during the middle of the day to capture the notes of my experience with a rider, but this was an extraordinary circumstance. In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't done anything to corroborate/confirm his statements, but you can be sure I'll be looking into it all.