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EE: Still Not Getting The Genetic Cancer Cell Storyline
Steve Soapbox
Posts: 365 Forum Member
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While I'm loving the new and improved Eastenders under DTC, with its constant momentum, I'm still not getting the drama of Carol's genetic cancer cell storyline. Because surely you've either got cancer or you haven't. Each and every one of us surely stands a 50% chance of getting cancer in our life time. And while literally every other week the national press is announcing a new breakthrough in cancer research, no definitive preventative solution has been discovered. So why the drama?
Yes I get that she's worried for her kids who are worried for their kids. But it does seem to be being milked for all it's worth.
I don't mean to come across as disrespectful to anyone in this situation but my dad a few years back was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, and the first thing my mum said to me and my brother was that we should get tested too as the chances are we have it too. Where she got that info from I'll never know! But we both said we'd deal with it if the situation arises - if ever - rather than ruining our lives of good health with worries about potential illness. And that moment was resolved in 10 minutes, not involving weeks of angst and trauma.
I know it's a soap and their job is to milk the drama. And I congratulate them for finding a new spin on the cancer theme. But it still seems very contrived to me.
What do you think?
Yes I get that she's worried for her kids who are worried for their kids. But it does seem to be being milked for all it's worth.
I don't mean to come across as disrespectful to anyone in this situation but my dad a few years back was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, and the first thing my mum said to me and my brother was that we should get tested too as the chances are we have it too. Where she got that info from I'll never know! But we both said we'd deal with it if the situation arises - if ever - rather than ruining our lives of good health with worries about potential illness. And that moment was resolved in 10 minutes, not involving weeks of angst and trauma.
I know it's a soap and their job is to milk the drama. And I congratulate them for finding a new spin on the cancer theme. But it still seems very contrived to me.
What do you think?
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I can't really answer you, all's I can say is I think they chose Carol for the story line because of the large amount of people that could be affected by the gene: Bianca, Sonia, Robbie, Max, Rebecca, Tiffany, Morgan, Liam, Lauren, Abi, Oscar, Amy, (I think Sam Mitchell's baby boy is also Jack's), Jack's other daughter Penny, Alice, Joey, so many people could have the gene.
Very informative post, there are women who have had masectomies because they have the BRCA gene, Angelina Jolie is the most high profile person I know of who had a double masectomy and is scheduled to have her ovaries removed also. My sister in law had her ovaries removed as she carries the BRCA gene, some people would like to know and would like to prolong their lives
With breast cancer in women the chances are higher than in men because with men it is more genetic because our non functioning breasts don't change much where as with women their breast tissue changes during puberty and during pregnancy. Cancer happens when there are cells that go wrong and like normal cells duplicate.
The research they have done is more in to what causes cancer, by knowing this it can help find a cure.
The story line is treating it as if all breast cancer is genetic but research has actually found that one of the reasons more middle age women are getting breast cancer now is due to the birth control pill but mainly the original birth control pill which they would have taken when they were in their late teens onwards. What it does is make your body think it's in the early stages of pregnancy and so the eggs don't release but it also causes the breast tissue to develop for breast feeding. The pill or being kept in that state doesn't cause cancer but what causes it is when women come off the pill and don't get pregnant. If they were to come off the pill and become pregnant the breast cells would continue developing for breast feeding and naturally go back to normal after breast feeding has stopped. If they come off the pill and don't get pregnant those developed cells don't know what to do as they were told to develop then suddenly stop these cells can just die and get passed in the urine like all other internal cells but they can sometimes become cancerous and grow. Now there are different birth control pills in theory there shouldn't be as much of a problem in a few years time but I am sure cancer charities will be taking the undeserved glory from when the cancer rates go down.
I'm guessing we'll also see some jumping to conclusions during the storyline, probably from Lauren, Abi or Roxy. Tanya's father died of cancer and Tanya had cancer, so Abi and Lauren might think that they've got two chances to have inherited the gene, when this is unlikely because it was cervical cancer that Tanya had. Roxy might also think that Amy will have it because Archie had cancer twice.
Fantastic post, very informative and straight to the point.
They will most likely have a male in the family get tested positive to show that men can get breast cancer too but like I said the reason many women Carol's age get breast cancer is because of the reason I mentioned where women that were on the original pill coming off the pill and not getting pregnant straight after and not due to genetics.
Yep, pretty sure Max will test positive. It won't have the same effect if Carol says, "Jack's tested positive so there's a greatly increased chance he may get breast cancer." If Max is positive also, it's a real dilemma for Abi and Lauren if one or both then have the gene too, as they are debatably at the age where a mastectomy would bother them the most. Amy only really learned to speak last week so they can't explain it to her.
The problem in soaps is they would over exaggerate it so viewers would get their self checked, not all of them would test positive and there is a possibility only she could be positive. In reality if her breast cancer was caused by genetics her other relatives would have had breast cancer and they would have tested her or known it was in their family and wouldn't be as unprepared.
Her mother died of it and the last time one of Carol's sisters was on the Square was 2008. It's the most realistic start to the storyline they could have had I think.
I would have given this Brca gene sorry line to Max (who lets face it has not a story that does not involve a women and even when he when to prison that was carl his rebound wifes ex. Also has a male character in EastEnders ever had cancer?) who could have either Breast or Prostate Cancer.
I would not introduced mini cindy and yet an another accidental (as if no-one heard of contraception) teenage pregnancy storyline I would have waited a year and had Tiffany and Bobby who deliberately (I don't think there has being a planned teenage pregnancy) decide to have a child to escape their dysfunctional families. It goes horrible wrong and Jane end up raising it.
For Liam I would have had a exam stress storyline with added Caffeine dependence (energy drinks, coffee, Caffeine pills) which nearly kills him.
Then they should have Whitney and Jay could decide they want more in life decide to go back to college with Whitney becoming a teacher and Jay an engineer.
They have done the "older mother" storyline. Kathy Beale had Ben in her late forties, and as a result he had meningitis and was deaf in one ear. Also, Zainab fell pregnant with Kamil when she was around 47/48? As her and Mas had to cancel their plans to go travelling. Kat, now pregnant with twins could technically be considered an older mother - she is 44, but I doubt they'd go down that road with her storyline.
I'm pretty sure Kathy being an older mother didn't result in Ben having meningitis..my son had meningitis and I had him when I was 27, and isn't Ben's deafness a result of the meningitis? Again nothing to do with being an older mother.
But being pregnant in your 40s is not taboo anymore but someone in there 50s would have the Helen Lovejoys of this world scream "Think of the children" and didn't Zainab and Kathy as far as I am aware know about their pregnancy early on and did not put it down to the menopause.
Also meningitis has nothing to do with being a older mother and could happen to anyone.
If her mother died of it she would have been tested. I know women that died of breast cancer and all of their children were tested and the women in those families have to go annually for checks.
It would have been interesting if she did find out she was pregnant at an older age. That's like a multi story line but finding out her child is autistic would be too much of a long story line because they wouldn't realise he has autism for quite a few years and not all older women that give birth have disabled children.
You would need to take a lot of caffeine to kill or nearly kill yourself and not through up. It would be more interesting if he had breast cancer because out of all of the Jackson/Braning family Liam would be the least expected.
I completely agree with you, most people watching this won't have cancer and won't actually be in this position and are just viewing it. And I always say just viewing something isn't the same as actually finding out facts and details that benefit you.
My Dad passed away from cancer too and I didn't for a second think to get checked out, instead I took a different approach of focusing on my health and researching into people who understand this.
I found some brilliant information such as Louise Hay who has has a huge publishing business who had cancer and was able to cure herself over 30 years ago and is now in her late 80's and healthy, then there's a great book Dying To Be Me by Anita Moorjani who had cancer for 4 years, her organs were shutting down and she was in a hospital bed dying - then she had a near death experience, went into a coma, then came out of the coma and her body regenerated.
Now she travels the world giving seminars about living without fear and what do all these people have in common? They all understand that if you fear cancer, you won't be able to find the way to heal yourself.
Eastenders have went down the medical route as they're responsible by law to do so, you'll never see stories like that on Eastenders and finding you have gene or not and ripping out parts of your body to be safe, is just one method. I know loads of stories of people who had cancer and healed.
There was a story on Daily Mail last week of a 14 year old boy who was in the same position were he had leukaemia and was coming off medication as he had no immune system, preparing to die and then once all the antibitioics were out of his system = he healed.
So, for me I just learned you can't over ride someones fear. If someone fears cancer, they'll take the tests, they'll live their life scared of it, they'll do all they can to stop it and those people who don't fear it can take a different approach.
It's all cool by me, just don't expect Eastenders to handle a situation like that because they'll be told by the BBC to not promote the message that people can heal with different methods as it's irresponsible. Just live your life fearlessly, I am more healthier than ever and certainly more healthier than my Dad was and that's all I need to know!
They would have still tested the family and carol would have to have gone for regular tests
With any luck maybe he will get a publishing deal out of it too.
Yes but you would only have the test if you were displaying symptoms and they suspected you had it. By then it could be too late. Ovarian cancer doesn't usually show up until its well into stage 2 going into stage 3. That's why its called the silent killer.
I don't think so. I can remember cancer being mentioned prior to the start of this storyline.
Don't two relatives have to get a BRCA related cancer before testing is offered/started, hence why they are doing it now?