Rough Time on the Board Lately

PhillieG

I realize that there have been quite a few of "us" who have lot their battles with cancer lately. I know it hits me hard and I imagine it hits the rest of you the same if not harder. Just doing a quick search on this site, I came up with 701 members who have either colon or rectal cancer. That's a lot of members in our "club".

I'm certainly not trying to minimize this in any way but if we were to open our local papers, we'd see probably 15-20 people each day who passed away for whatever reason. Why this hurts so much is that we are like one big (sometimes dysfunctional) family and I think we all wish/hope/pray for a cure for each and every one of us. Cancer is something that I wish on no one and while they can send a man to the moon, why can't they cure cancer. I do not want to get into a discussion at this time on whether or not they (pharmaceutical companies) are sitting on a cure or not. Cancer is a complicated disease that is as rough on the families as it is on ourselves.

I just hope that everyone who has passed on is at peace and that some closure and healing can begin for everyone's family. Let us all keep on Living Strong.
-peace...

maglets

cancer
a friend of mine died this week at age 48. Our town is about 24,000 people. Every day when the paper arrives, the first thing I do is turn to the death notices. There are usually 6 or 7....but some days 3 or 4 of these deaths....are people aged 45 to 65 and you know almost instinctively of the disease that shortened their life. Most notices say.....contribution to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated....and it makes my blood run cold every day.

mags

dianetavegia

Well said Phil.... and I
Well said Phil.... and I love your bleeding heart.

Mags, A local mom died of Colon cancer this weekend. She was 46 and had 5 children. The youngest was 17 MONTHS when mom was dx'd, two weeks AFTER me.

It's very heart wrenching. I have serious Survivor's Guilt.

PhillieG

dianetavegia said:

Well said Phil.... and I
Well said Phil.... and I love your bleeding heart.

Mags, A local mom died of Colon cancer this weekend. She was 46 and had 5 children. The youngest was 17 MONTHS when mom was dx'd, two weeks AFTER me.

It's very heart wrenching. I have serious Survivor's Guilt.

Bleeding Heart
You know me, I'm just a Bleeding Heart middle of the road but leaning slightly more to the left type of person...
Thank you, I have 3 nice big red plants and somehow a white one sprung up.

Diane, don't feel guilty. There's nothing more you can do than what you already do. It's the luck of the draw sometimes...

mvancott

My husband
My husband is 45 and was diagnosed in November with stage IV colon cancer with no symptoms other than leg pain. I know what you mean about scanning the obituaries and looking for cancer's casualties. We have 2 girls ages 2 and 5. He has already been in and out of the hospital several times for blood transfusions, clots and fevers. It hit from out of the blue.

geotina

Phil
Well said. Diane - survivors guilt, been there done that and do not go there anymore. George was diagnosed Stage IV at age 60, spread was bad, I mean like real bad. Why is he doing well and sitting on the couch right now laughing. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the loss of Patti and what went so terribly wrong so fast.

I get a little angry that we spend so much money fooling around up in space, like billions, and for what, if you think about it, nothing and yet people are in severe financial straights here just because they got sick, huge co-pays to the point they don't want to open the mail, see their retirement going down the drain, see their savings dwindle, doesn't make sense.

Maybe it is just luck of the draw. Anyway, can't change what is so enjoy life while you feel well and worry about tomorrow, well, tomorrow.

Tina

Annabelle41415

Us Living Strong
Thanks Phil for your post. Yes we need to all of us continue to live strong in whatever we do and especially this battle against this deadly disease. You are right, the papers are filled with others passing from one thing or another, but we here have our own family that we know and feel a bond to so we do feel a great loss when we have corresponded with one that we lost. It's just good to know we have so many family members here

Kim

AnneCan

maglets said:

cancer
a friend of mine died this week at age 48. Our town is about 24,000 people. Every day when the paper arrives, the first thing I do is turn to the death notices. There are usually 6 or 7....but some days 3 or 4 of these deaths....are people aged 45 to 65 and you know almost instinctively of the disease that shortened their life. Most notices say.....contribution to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated....and it makes my blood run cold every day.

mags

Mags,
I am sorry for the
Mags,

I am sorry for the loss of your friend.

AnneCan

Thanks for this post, Phil +
Thanks for this post, Phil + for the reminder to live strong.

John23

Phil....
Sometimes when I'm feeling down, I go to the following web site and try to get a lil' lift: http://www.legacy.com/

If my name isn't there, I make my plans for the day.


Stay well, dammit.

(and try to get a little piece)


John

karguy

Thank you
Thank you for the post,you are so right,we have to live strong.And mags I'm sorry about your friend.My younger brother died of cancer 2 months before I was dx,and sometimes I wonder why him,and not me,but the doctor said it was the luck of the draw.We have to stay strong to help each other.

tootsie1

Thoughtful
Phil,

This is a wonderfully thoughtful post. We have taken some hits here lately, and it seems every few months we go through a run of rough times. *sigh*

I, too, read the paper and can just pick out the ones who died from cancer. And I see at least one in every paper. It's just everywhere.

That said, there really are more people living with cancer now than used to. So progress is being made. But it's still a beast, and it still does what it wants, when it wants.

*hugs*
Gail