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Wilkes-Barre’s Help Line needs help, gets it from mayor’s office

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Luzerne County’s public release of outstanding warrants fruitful, officials say

<p>I was sitting watching &#8220;CSI:Miami&#8221; the other night when I suddenly thought:</p><p>&#8220;Why aren&#8217;t there more people like me, a cancer patient, on television?&#8221;</p><p>And by me, I mean someone who goes to work everyday, reads books, eats out with family and tries to enjoy life. (Side note: I was talking about writing the article while talking to a friend and he said I should say &#8220;like me, a superhero.&#8221; I am <em>not</em> a superhero.)</p><p>And as I searched for an answer on the Internet, I was shocked. I couldn&#8217;t find one.</p><p>In 2012, Italian researchers analyzed 82 cancer-themed movies, including &#8220;Gran Torino&#8221; with findings including that rarer cancers are most often featured and that characters were more likely to die than real-life patients. The same study found common cancers, including breast cancer, are hardly represented, while relatively rare leukemia, lymphomas and brain tumors are predominant.</p><p>There are more than 100 types of cancers &#8212; based on cell&#8217;s formed or the organs from where the cancer&#8217;s originate &#8212; according to the National Cancer Institute.</p><p>Sure, most cancer patients aren&#8217;t Hollywood material &#8212; young and attractive. They are typically middle-age. Being a cancer patient can involve some tricky ideas: colostomy bags, surgeries, days of being lazy because you can&#8217;t move &#8212; definitely not Hollywood best sellers.</p><p>If &#8220;CSI:Miami&#8221; hadn&#8217;t had a cancer theme during a few episodes of its fourth season, I never would have thought of the question.</p><p>In short:</p><p>Marisol Delko, the main character&#8217;s girlfriend, has breast cancer. The first time the viewers see her, she&#8217;s buying marijuana off the street to quell her pain. So kudos to the show&#8217;s writers. They were ahead of that curve.</p><p>But as the season went on, there were only a few moments of one episode where I felt connected with her. Even then, what she went through was nothing like I have gone through. She still had her beautiful hair, and there was no one else in the room where she was receiving treatment, but her, a nurse and Horatio Caine, the show&#8217;s protagonist.</p><p>Nowadays cancer patients don&#8217;t always lose their hair. But some, like me, shave it in solidarity of our fellow brothers-and sisters-in arms. My first round of chemo, which I had an allergic reaction to, would have caused me to lose my hair. Without hesitation I had someone take a razor to my hair. It wasn&#8217;t worth watching it fall out in clumps.</p><p>Inside a chemotherapy room, there are nurses, patients, family members and sometimes doctors coming to check up on patients. It&#8217;s always busy: fluids are always going, someone&#8217;s machine is always beeping, nurses are always running around.</p><p>Personally, &#8220;Breaking Bad&#8221; had the best depiction of cancer, I&#8217;ve seen in a long time. And I watched that before I was diagnosed.</p><p>Walter White, the main character, has inoperable lung cancer and is given two years to live. The vast majority of Walter&#8217;s treatment is as an outpatient. But because of high medical bills, White turns to selling meth. He shows the best depiction of a cancer patient &#8212; strong and hopeful, yet willing to do whatever it takes. Even as he goes into remission, White does whatever he can to keep cancer at bay.</p><p>In both &#8220;Breaking Bad&#8221; and &#8220;CSI:Miami,&#8221; the two cancer-bearing characters died from a gunshot wound and <em>not</em> their cancer.</p><p>Cancer is not always a death sentence, as Hollywood (and most people) would believe. The majority of cancer patients walk around everyday and go about daily living.</p><p>Take it from someone who knows.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">8/1/2014 The Times Leader AIMEE DILGER</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Melanie-Mizenko.jpg</photo0><caption0>8/1/2014 The Times Leader AIMEE DILGER</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Melanie-Mizenko-toned-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">8/1/2014 The Times Leader AIMEE DILGER</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Melanie-Mizenko-toned-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>8/1/2014 The Times Leader AIMEE DILGER</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Why aren’t there more people like me on TV?