The Worst Brings Out the Best

The 20^th Century was replete with natural and human disasters that caused society to devote itself at all costs to make the world a better place. Most noble among these efforts was our nation’s commitment to rid the world of the tragic disease called cancer.
By 1970, cancer was terrorizing almost every American family as it inflicted terrible suffering and for most patients an almost certain death sentence. Its solution was either unknown or, when known, associated with dire consequences. Cancer’s toll on society went beyond human suffering to threaten economic disaster.