recipient:
Real Simple/ PO Box 64523/ Tampa, FL 33664-4523
sent:
BBC “Gay Men Seek ‘Female Cancer’ Jab” article
reasoning:
i just got my 3rd and last shot of Gardasil. i am now protected against certain types of HPV, particularly the strains that have been shown to cause cervical cancer. woo. i didn’t actively seek out the vaccine, it was one i had definitely heard of, these “one less” commercials are on constant play if you turn on the TV, but it was something i didn’t think i needed. and while vaccines have done a lot of good, i’m wary that soon
we’ll be vaccinating ourselves against everything in the world, and simply start a new series of bacteria, germs and illnesses. i went in to get a physical in january, and my doctor immediately advised that i should start on the gardasil track. i knew that SL had done it and she said it was painful and expensive. but dr. madden assured me that it was now covered by insurance – it was a huge fight that doctors took on against the insurance companies, “how can you deny people something that could potentially save their lives?” i was still a bit hesitant, but the doctor was insistent. i was also somewhat convinced when she said, “how amazing is it that we’ve developed a vaccine against a cancer? think about the implications that soon we’ll have something for every cancer, and no one will have to suffer.” unfortunately, the first shot hurt like hell, and committed me for 6 months to this new health and scientific experiment that i wasn’t necessarily ready for or on board with. (more…)
