Hi, how’s it going? Hope you are doing well.

You’ve probably heard all of the talk about cancer awareness, and about research to find a cure for cancer. Some people think it’s hopeless. Others think that there is a legitimate chance that they could do the research needed and find a cure for cancer.

Is there a chance? Well, it’s hard to say for sure. I certainly don’t know everything about it. But I do know where I stand on the subject: I think it is a good thing to hope for. But I also think that, since there is no cure at the moment, people who have cancer should not hold off on treatment just because they are waiting for the cure.

Wouldn’t that be ridiculous? “I’m not going to do chemotherapy because I’m waiting for them to find a cure.” Wow. Unfortunately, because of the way cancer works, a person who said that might be dead before they found a cure.

It is worth it to hope. It is not worth it to put everything else off because you are waiting.

The same thing goes with bipolar disorder. There is currently no cure for bipolar disorder. Some believe that there will never be a cure. Others think that it’s only a matter of time and research. I’m not sure what the future will hold.

But I do know that, while hoping is always a good thing, no one who has bipolar disorder should wait for the cure to receive treatment. There are things that can be done in the meantime to put them into recovery, which is by far better than staying “on the roller coaster” that bipolar disorder puts them on. It is never worth it to just wait. By waiting, you could be putting your well-being, and maybe even your life, on the line.

Now, any hope for a cure that we may have requires research to be done first. If you are truly insistent that there will be a cure one day, then there are things you can do to help the process along. For a select few, that means becoming a psychiatrist or psychologist and conducting the studies themselves.

For others, this may mean becoming a donor for science. For some, this may mean taking part in a study. Then again, some may be able to help just by fighting stigma and promoting education. You never know who will hear you and decide to become a doctor themselves.

Depending on your abilities, desires, and what is available in your local area, there are many things you can do to help scientists work towards a cure. If you have the means to suggest something to a scientist that works on those sorts of things, and you come up with an idea for a study that you think would help, then you might suggest that to them and help in that way.

See, there is a hope for the cure, and there are even things we can do to move the process along. But there is not time to wait on treatment.

What are your thoughts on that?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave