Have you ever grieved the loss of a loved one due to cancer? Cancer has affected the lives of millions of people and it still continues to do so today. Chemotherapy is a process that attempts to kill cancer cells, stop it from spreading, and decrease the rate of it coming back. Some people believe chemotherapy is helpful in the healing process for patients. However, chemotherapy has harmed patients in the long run because this process has multiple side effects, which can lead to further health problems. It also decreases the chances of people living their best life as well as putting people in danger. Chemotherapy results in multiple side effects on certain cancer patients. Laurie McGinley stated “Many colon cancer patients can cut their …show more content…
For example, “Low blood cell counts caused by the effect of chemotherapy on the bone marrow can lead to anemia, infections, and easy bleeding and bruising” (Cloos and Rizzo 1). The process of chemotherapy causes patients to have a decrease in infection-fighting white blood cells. This can make people unhealthy because this allows more opportunity for them to get sick. Patients are more prone to infections which can be dangerous and damaging to their bodies in the long run. In the article, Rhonda Cloos and Toni Rizzo stated “Patients with anemia have too few red blood cells to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the body’s tissues” (Cloos and Rizzo 1). This causes patients to feel drained, severely tired and weak. If the red blood cell count gets exceedingly low then blood transfusions are often put into place which can be dangerous because they can promote infections which can harm people. Lastly, “Chemotherapy can cause irritation and dryness in the mouth and throat. Precautions to avoid this side effect include getting dental care before chemotherapy begins ” (Cloos and Rizzo 1). Chemotherapy results in uncomfortable symptoms and even with taking precautions, patients aren’t guaranteed that these symptoms won’t happen after treatment. In the long run, chemotherapy can lead to further medical