I wrote several blog posts about Farrah Fawcett’s final days back in June of 2009. I didn’t expect to ever write about her again, although I think often about her courage and commitment to fighting cancer unconventionally. However, I am compelled to come to her defense in her absence as her name is once again in the headlines this week. No doubt you have heard by now that the fund-raising foundation she was so adamant about launching before she died is under investigation. The California Attorney General’s Office is looking into alleged potential mismanagement of funds—or maybe not. The Farrah Fawcett Foundation raises funds exclusively for research into alternative methods of cancer prevention and treatment. So, should we be surprised that the foundation is on a hit list of some who oppose anything unconventional related to cancer care? I am not usually a conspiracy theorist, but, based on the initial news stories, there’s an unpleasant order emanating from all this.

I didn’t set up this example in preparation for this post; it just happened in the course of the day, and it’s a relatively common experience. When I checked my Facebook feeds this morning, I noticed my cousin was on line. So, I casually chatted with her for about 20 minutes. She is in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Then I made a few Facebook posts and exchanged a few emails. As part of my course curriculum research for a college class I teach, I read a few pages from an eBook filled with digital photos on my computer. Of course, I had several conversations via my cell phone. The postal service delivered the book I ordered online. This afternoon, I finished a module of a web-based course I’m taking. Finally, I just finished my microwaved dinner while watching the news from a satellite broadcast network. Funny how all these things I mention were the results of amazing breakthrough technology that was developed over the last 10 years. Technology is revolutionizing our lives exponentially every year. So why isn’t cancer research taking advantage of the same?