On Wednesday of last week I attended a birthday party for a friend in my sewing group. She just turned 90. I baked the cake. My first layer cake in decades, a carrot cake. It turned out great. After food and cake we sat around the table chatting. They know I have MM. Then they went around the table in a circle talking about family members, and friends they know with MM. There were 7 ladies and 7 family members or friends with MM.
I was floored. Why so many? I saw my oncologist on Thursday. I told him about the party. He said MM was endemic in our area. I asked him what caused it. He said cancer is caused by 3 things; what we do to our self, what the environment does to us, and what we inherit from our ancestors.
That was as clear as an answer as I could get. I am guessing that the truth is that doctors and scientist suspect what causes some cancers, but have no proof.
I do know I live in a rural area with farming and pesticides.
The neighbor behind us died two years ago from Leukemia. Another neighbor died two years ago from Leukemia also.
I suspect it may be more complicated. We have something called epi-genes, genes that turn genes on or off. Some people have epi-genes that can mutate a chromosome when exposed to a cancer causing agent. Others have epi-genes that do not get turned on, even if they take a bath in a pesticide.
We may never know, but I find the coincidence of MM being endemic in our area interesting.
