Cancer, one of the most tough diseases
nowadays comes silently and suddenly, and that is the situation which Adam
Lerner (Gordon-Levitt) needs to face in the movie 50/50. Adam is a 27 year old
public radio journalist and he is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer.
Adam sees his whole life changing due to the cancer. He got the help of his best
friend, his mother, and a therapist to handle the disease.
Cancer is really terrifying. It is
the second disease that kills in the world (in 2008, almost 14%, or 7, 6
million, of all deaths were caused due to cancer, according to World Health
Organization). It has more than 100 types and 60 organs can develop cancer. An
interesting fact is that only 10% of cancer patients are hereditary cases and
90% of the cases are associated to environmental factors. Adam had healthy
habits, so he got unlucky.
Another fact is that the older the
person, more the chance of having cancer. 63% of cancer patients are more than
65 years old. Adam was 27, so he got unlucky again. 27 is an age where you
probably left home a while and you are getting used to independence. In that
moment cancer shows up to Adam, and he is thrown back into the position where
you need to rely on people.
The cancer patient enters a stage of
psychic reactions which is divided into five stages: denial, revolt, bargain, depression
and acceptance. Those stages are present from the time of diagnosis, but they
may vary from person to person. It is possible to realize some of these stages
in Adam’s treatment period.
Science do not know to list precisely
all the factors that cause cancer. However, it does know something: genetic
inheritance, as previous said, is guilty for 5% to 10% of the cases. Smoking is
almost a suicide: 90% of lung cancer comes from the habit. Obesity, physical
inactivity, alcohol abuse, lack of fruits and vegetables are factors that are directly
connected to the disease. It is possible to see that a lot can be done to
prevent cancer and keep healthy, unless you got unlucky as Adam.
Hahaha Funny your saying that he got unlucky, but since the factors that cause cancer are indefinite and nothing has been proved regarding it, it's hard to say how an 27 year old guy developed cancer. Bad Lucky is not a factor! I think the worst part was the doctor saying, he was so cold and distant, come on! You are telling to a young adult that he has a rare cancer! Where is your humanity?! Anyway, I liked your post Victor, very instructive.
ReplyDeleteEven though Victor presented lots of data regarding the connection between unhealthy lifestyle and the development of cancer, it's interesting that in the movie, the guy who got the disease is a guy who doesn't even drink. Bad luck or not, I think that the movie tried to show that cancer and other diseases don't choose the patient: everyone is likely to contract one of those. Thinking that way, everyone should be prepared to go through a situation like that. Easy to say, but hard to put into practice, as we see the several problems and challenges that involve the treatment of cancer. The movie makes us think about what really matters in life and to value those things, because you never know what will happen to you in the future.
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ReplyDeleteI must say I strongly agree with Rachel. Being sick is not a matter of lucky. If you do not take care of your healthy, your cells will probably develop a tumor. Science has proved that every human being has the cancer genes, whether it will turn into a cancer or not, is just a matter of time or life style. What I most like in this movie is the relationship among the characters, everybody is taking care of him. And the main character showed what everyone is trying to do: fighting for life.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if I believe in luck, but, I really think that everything you feel, you think or you say, can cause something. Maybe he was just too stressed and developed the cancer.
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