Schemers, scammers and swindlers
The one thing to watch out for when you are affliated with a disease like cancer are schemers, scammers and swindlers. Low-life bottom-feeding scum of humanity who prey on desperate patients like us.
I am not talking about well-meaning friends and relatives who dispenses with dubious medical advise they heard or maybe even seen. Forgive them because their intention is good, it's up to us to evaluate their advise.
I am talking about people who see us as easy prey, and try to sell their product or technique. These product are based on hearsay or mere testimonials. If you read their product description, they are light on facts and heavy on rhetoric. And some don't even list their ingredients, or the design of their brochure is of such poor quality it's not even worth wasting energy to recycle them. Normally, you would instantly be suspicious, but if you are a desperate cancer patient grasping on any straw, they are good enough.
I have heard of stories where such swindlers would push their product on the patient; wiping out nearly their life savings, with no quarantee of cure except what's in their low quality or even glossy brouchure. I even heard of a story where the father of a patient went looking for the salesperson with a shotgun when his son died after spending collosal sums of money of the product.
I myself have fallen on such claims. I have spent more than RM40,000 (nearly USD 11,000) on products of a certain company. Those were the earlier days when I lying on the bed, frantically searching for the magic bullet. I know the person selling them meant well, heck, she is a family friend. But there were no evaluation of my condition while I was pouring ringgits down my throat, and she would have been happily continue to sell it until we scrap bottom financially.
I knew another seller who don't even know what are the function of several ingredients in his product. Yes, he knows the function of the main ingredient, but he has a product which has this main active ingredient in combination with other ingredients. I asked what are the function of these "plus+plus" ingredients and interaction with the main one, he didn't know. OK, fine, but at least he should take the initiative to find out; it's for his own good too to better sell his product. But nooooo....he could not answer me even after the 3rd time. And he has the temerity to ask me to read their product booklet!
Shit! I told one of his partner that if you buy a car, and you ask the car salesman what is the function of a particular button in the car, and the salesman answered," Eh, I don't know, why don't you read the manual?", surely you would ask this car salesman to go to hell. Anyway, this product salesman is more interested in his product's business plan, he even took the time to explain to me the business plan(!), rather than understanding more about his own product and explaining it to me. His partner is not good either, in the end he also gave me his product booklet to read! He cited that both of them are too tired at the end of the day to really read more about their product. I was flabbergasted....Avoid at all cost....
Members of the noble profession also do not escape from such greediness. I remember the first oncologist I consulted in a private hospital south of Seremban. Initially he offered Iressa for a certain sum. Eventually I didnt consult him because I prefer NCI which is much nearer to my home and the doctors there have more emphaty.
Anyway, in my quest to find Iressa at a cheaper cost, I went back to see this Dr C and asked if he can give me the price he quoted earlier, which is cheaper than other places. He immediately raised the price by RM500. Good thing I wasn't present at that time, because it was my sister who went to see him the 2nd time; I would have given him a big piece of my mind about his mercenary attitude. Another cancer counsellor told me she had heard lots of horror stories about this Dr C. I first blogged about him here in April 2004.
So cancer or other so-called terminal disease patients. Your healing journey is an expensive one, a long one, it's could be a marathon voyage. No matter how desperate you are; judge any claims calmly, preferably with friends or relatives who have experience and of course with a physician whom you can trust and talk to. Why sell houses or bust your life savings on doubtful remedies which may have cheaper substitute if bought from pharmacies.
There. That's my rant.
I am not talking about well-meaning friends and relatives who dispenses with dubious medical advise they heard or maybe even seen. Forgive them because their intention is good, it's up to us to evaluate their advise.
I am talking about people who see us as easy prey, and try to sell their product or technique. These product are based on hearsay or mere testimonials. If you read their product description, they are light on facts and heavy on rhetoric. And some don't even list their ingredients, or the design of their brochure is of such poor quality it's not even worth wasting energy to recycle them. Normally, you would instantly be suspicious, but if you are a desperate cancer patient grasping on any straw, they are good enough.
I have heard of stories where such swindlers would push their product on the patient; wiping out nearly their life savings, with no quarantee of cure except what's in their low quality or even glossy brouchure. I even heard of a story where the father of a patient went looking for the salesperson with a shotgun when his son died after spending collosal sums of money of the product.
I myself have fallen on such claims. I have spent more than RM40,000 (nearly USD 11,000) on products of a certain company. Those were the earlier days when I lying on the bed, frantically searching for the magic bullet. I know the person selling them meant well, heck, she is a family friend. But there were no evaluation of my condition while I was pouring ringgits down my throat, and she would have been happily continue to sell it until we scrap bottom financially.
I knew another seller who don't even know what are the function of several ingredients in his product. Yes, he knows the function of the main ingredient, but he has a product which has this main active ingredient in combination with other ingredients. I asked what are the function of these "plus+plus" ingredients and interaction with the main one, he didn't know. OK, fine, but at least he should take the initiative to find out; it's for his own good too to better sell his product. But nooooo....he could not answer me even after the 3rd time. And he has the temerity to ask me to read their product booklet!
Shit! I told one of his partner that if you buy a car, and you ask the car salesman what is the function of a particular button in the car, and the salesman answered," Eh, I don't know, why don't you read the manual?", surely you would ask this car salesman to go to hell. Anyway, this product salesman is more interested in his product's business plan, he even took the time to explain to me the business plan(!), rather than understanding more about his own product and explaining it to me. His partner is not good either, in the end he also gave me his product booklet to read! He cited that both of them are too tired at the end of the day to really read more about their product. I was flabbergasted....Avoid at all cost....
Members of the noble profession also do not escape from such greediness. I remember the first oncologist I consulted in a private hospital south of Seremban. Initially he offered Iressa for a certain sum. Eventually I didnt consult him because I prefer NCI which is much nearer to my home and the doctors there have more emphaty.
Anyway, in my quest to find Iressa at a cheaper cost, I went back to see this Dr C and asked if he can give me the price he quoted earlier, which is cheaper than other places. He immediately raised the price by RM500. Good thing I wasn't present at that time, because it was my sister who went to see him the 2nd time; I would have given him a big piece of my mind about his mercenary attitude. Another cancer counsellor told me she had heard lots of horror stories about this Dr C. I first blogged about him here in April 2004.
So cancer or other so-called terminal disease patients. Your healing journey is an expensive one, a long one, it's could be a marathon voyage. No matter how desperate you are; judge any claims calmly, preferably with friends or relatives who have experience and of course with a physician whom you can trust and talk to. Why sell houses or bust your life savings on doubtful remedies which may have cheaper substitute if bought from pharmacies.
There. That's my rant.
posted by Hee Boon at 9:23 am
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