~Cancer~

Dabs

~Unpredictable~
May 13, 2011
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~Tennessee~
How close has cancer hit you or someone you love?
They say 1 out of 3 women will develop some form of cancer, and even tho it's not the number one killer of women (heart disease is), it ranks very high as the killer of men and women.
It kills more people than obesity. It kills more people than heart attacks/strokes.
I loathe fucking cancer, it's my only enemy in life........I am surrounded by it on both sides of my family and I have had to deal with it personally, in my own body~
I wish they would find something to help with this dreaded jackass disease. More and more children are being stricken with some form of cancer.
Instead of them getting closer to finding a cure, I hear about more and more cases~
 
I lost my best friend, my beautiful Mother to that damn disease in November 2005. Lung cancer, yes she smoked. They say there are 5 stages of grief, I sure hope to hell I would get to the final one, because I haven't yet, and truth be told, I doubt I ever will. She and I shared a bond like no other Mother and daughter you would see. Most people were jealous of us, we never fussed, always did things for each other, we were always there for each other. God what I wouldn't give to have my Mother here with me. Mother's days and her birthdays and Christmas are so damn hard. I am her only daughter, and so it was difficult for both of us, when she came home under Hospice care, because we both knew, the end was near.
Then I lost my Dad, my SF, to cancer in March 2008. Even tho he was so mean to me, I loved him and I forgave him for the many years of abuse. That's one thing about me, I am a very forgiving person. But he suffered terribly and I watched him die. My Mother went peacefully in her sleep, for that I am very thankful.
Then my Mother's favorite sister, my favorite Aunt, I lost her to cancer in February 2009. She sort of took over the role of my Mother after Mother left me. And she did a great job!
Also on my Mother's side, I lost my Grandfather to cancer, lung cancer- and my Grandmother to cancer (my Mother's parents) as well as Mother's oldest brother, he also passed away from cancer. And all of them, with the exception of my Aunt, they all passed away at the age of 66. My dear Aunt lived to be 68.
On my real Dad's side, even tho I didn't know him that well, he died at the age of 54, passed away from liver cancer.
And like I mentioned earlier, I have had the dreaded C word in my body, had to fight it for awhile, but I'm not about to give in, and so far, I'm doing great~
But I so loathe cancer, it sickens me.
 
I've seen patients slowly decline due to cancer now for over 2 decades, and have taken many for their last ride, away from their families and lives

It's a dehumanizing disease imho, people literally wilt. I asked one old timer once what else i could do for him, he replied 'gotta gun?' , and to be honest, i thought about it for a second or two....

If there was any one disease i could pick to go away, it would be cancer
 
I've seen patients slowly decline due to cancer now for over 2 decades, and have taken many for their last ride, away from their families and lives

It's a dehumanizing disease imho, people literally wilt. I asked one old timer once what else i could do for him, he replied 'gotta gun?' , and to be honest, i thought about it for a second or two....

If there was any one disease i could pick to go away, it would be cancer

Good post Sparky~
I've seen cancer take away so many people I love...some of them went quietly in their sleep, but some, ohmigosh, how they suffered.
If I could have done something to help, I would have...no matter how extreme *sigh*
 
My mother had three distinctly different kinds of cancer in her lifetime starting way back in the late 40's.

She beat them ALL, and lived to die (at 72) of something other than cancer.

FWIW cancer kills one out of every four Americans.

And that is mostly because now we live long enough to GET cancer of some kind or the other.
 
My SIL died from ovarian cancer in 2004 at the age of 49. She battled it for five years.

One trip to the hospital (right before things went downhill), she passed numerous people on the cancer ward who were in wheelchairs. Her reaction was 'omg, I'm so glad that's not me'. Within 6 weeks or so of that she was 'one of them'. She did great until the last 2 months.
 
Cancer is horrible. The good news is that many forms of cancer can be mitigated by health maintenance. Getting the Gardisil Shot and Pap smears has dropped the incidence of cervical cancer in this country to a fraction of what it used to be. If everyone got colonoscopies at 50, we could virtually eliminate the mortality behind colon cancer. Regular mammograms and exams will reduce breast cancer. And not smoking/quitting smoking makes your odds of getting lung cancer negligible.

Some cancers, like the hematologic ones (lymphomas and leukemias) still will be a problem and seem to spring forth de novo, but there is no reason why a proactive adult should feel like they have to "roll the dice" when it comes to cancer.
 
All of your stories. Intense to hear and some are very sad. Tearing up. :( But, even though cancer has a vicious and lethal side to it... It also opens eyes and minds to see life and appreciate the little things in life. Also family and friends are what keeps the heart warmer and appreciate you. It's what makes one fight.
 
No one can live forever, if Cancer does not get you something else will.
I do think that we may soon realize that our fundamental understanding of cancer has been flawed and that things such as smoking are more triggers than causes. Genetic modification may be the "cure" for cancer, but will open a new plethoria of problems of it's own.
 
I lost my father and both my grandfathers to Cancer between October of 2000 and August of 2001. I've lost a number of other friends and family to the disease including a friend and shooting buddy last Wednesday. It's a terrible disease.
 
No one can live forever, if Cancer does not get you something else will.
I do think that we may soon realize that our fundamental understanding of cancer has been flawed and that things such as smoking are more triggers than causes. Genetic modification may be the "cure" for cancer, but will open a new plethoria of problems of it's own.

Something that gives me great comfort is that no one gets out alive. 100 years from now not a single one of us will be here.
 
And with all the money that have in cancer research, why are we no closer to finding a cure than we were before?? Maybe we are, and they just aren't saying??
My Mother had a small 2 cm x 3 cm spot on her right lung, but because it was so close to her major arteries, they could not operate. So she had 6 weeks of chemotherapy and 36 radiation treatments, they literally burnt her up inside.
She would tell me the radiation was worse than the chemo.
God I felt so bad for her, watching her lie there, so helpless and weak, and all the while, she would tell me how much she loved me~
 
Dabs, I can understand those feelings. In November of 1998 my father was diagnosed with Melanoma (skin cancer). He and my mom had just reached the point in life where they were going to be able to start living for themselves: All 3 kids out of the house, the last one finishing college in the spring, the house almost totally paid off.

He had three different surgeries, plus chemo between then and the spring of 2000. They thought it was gone. He and my mom went to Germany and Austria that summer. When they came home they found out the cancer had moved from his shoulder and neck into his brain. He had 2 more surgeries to remove tumors in his brain.

In April of 2001, shortly after we buried his father who had just died of cancer himself they found another tumor in the brain... this one inoperable. They suggested chemo. He declined. The third weekend in June a hollow shell of a man walked down the aisle under his own power at his middle son's wedding, less than 12 hours after being rushed to the ER with pain issues.

On Sunday, August 19, 2001 I sat with my father in the living room of the house we'd built as a family. The two of us, who had constantly been at loggerheads for years spent almost 2 hours clearing the air between us. I thank God every day for that time, even as much as I wish for one more day, one more hour, or even one more minute with him.

That following Wednesday, August 22, 2001; my father's 54th Birthday, in the Hospice Center at Middlesex Memorial Hospital in Middletown, CT he was called to his Heavenly Home. He'd spent less than one hour in the Hospice Unit after agreeing to be admitted that morning.

Brian H ***** 8/22/1947 - 8/22/2001. Devoted Husband. Loving Father. Friend. Soldier. Teacher. The most truly Faithful and Good Person I've ever known. Gone but never Forgotten.
 
My Mother was supposed to be in remission, but I'm not sure she ever really was, or if she was, the cancer came back very fast!
She was first diagnosed in August 2004...she spent 3 months in the hospital undergoing all her treatments. She came home right before Christmas, feeling pretty good!
She started out 2005 well...then halfway thru, she started feeling tired and weak.
But, the doctors told us all was fine from where he could see.
So Mother continued on--then in October 2005, at a doctor visit, we were told the cancer was back. Mother cried, I cried.
I said we beat it once before, we shall do it again.
They started her on chemo once again, she got one treatment, and after that one treatment, she told me she was feeling better!~
On October 27, 2005, I walked into her home, she was cooking- she hugged me and told me she felt great, wonderful!
She was smiling, looked very healthy :)
The next day (October 28, 2005), it was a Friday, because the next day was my parents' wedding anniversary-my SF called and told me he had to call the ambulance, Mother wasn't looking well.
I only lived 1 mile away thank goodness, so when I got there, they were getting her ready to go.
When we got to the ER, they had her clothes off, and soon they were preparing her for a room.
I only thought they were keeping her as a precaution~
When she came to room 109, she was alert and talking, and doing well.....the nurses were fussing over her and she loved that *smiles*
The doctor came in, motioned me outside and told me that my Mother did not have long to live, there was nothing else they could do, the mass was putting pressure on her heart muscles and she was terminal.
I asked how long, the doctor told me about 3 months.
We brought my Mother home under Hospice (a wonderful place btw) on November 1, 2005.
Mother was again alert, she knew what was happening, she was coming home to die :-(
She left me on November 14, 2005- I didn't get the 3 months, I only got 2 weeks.
God how I miss that woman, she was a breath of fresh air, a bright ray of sunshine, never met someone she didn't like, and always doing for others~
 

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