A request - for any spare prayers

We're naturally, and sensibly, focused on our own predicament and this often precludes us from being able to express a broader solidarity with other sufferers. The liver cancer forum, as Jamie has testified, is a gloomier place than here and, as she shrewdly observed, is populated predominantly by caregivers. Some of them have it really tough and don't have the benefit of the volume and quality of support we enjoy in our vibrant community on this kidney cancer forum.

Consequently, may I ask anyone who has a few spare moments to visit there and offer any moral support they can to, in particular, "sig" (see the thread: My husband lost his battle with cancer) and Shirley, of LeeandShirley. As some sort of quid pro quo for this request, I offer you the following message from Shirley who is evidently a very intelligent lady and who invariably makes some very astute comments.


"If you are new to cancer Don't Believe The Statistics

My husband Lee was diagnosed with Cholyangiocarcenoma, (primary liver cancer), at the end of August 2010. I immediately went on line and tried to learn everything I could about Liver cancer. I was panic stricken and the statistics for liver cancer patients was bleak. Lee had resection of a 5 cm. encapsulated tumor, Sept. 6th 2010. Biopsy confirmed it was indeed liver cancer , but the surgeon was confident that he got it all. He was watched with CAT scans every 2-3 months following surgery. In April of 2011, the cancer was back, with multiple tumors in his liver and abdomen and with a suspicious lesion on his hip. He started chemo on May 1, 2011. His last PET scan showed SIGNIFICANT shrinkage of the tumors in his liver with some tumors no longer seen. And all lymph nodes were shrunk back to normal with no activity seen. Just the "lesion", (same as tumor), was not better, even grew a bit. But, the reason for my post, IS THIS, if statistics dictated the course of cancer, Lee would be at deaths door or worse right now. If you get a diagnosis of stage four cancer, it is scary and something to be dealt with, but it is not an immediate death sentence and often, the statistics are all wrong, because they take into account the most extreme cases too. The average person, can and does LIVE with cancer, undergoing many inconvenient treatments and tests and doctor appointments and your whole life will seem to revolve around this new way of life. But, it is life. So don't spend one minute crying and worrying about cancer. Spend all your energy educating yourself about what is available and when you get a doctor who tells you there is nothing he can do, get another doctor. By the way Lee is doing pretty good, given the fact that they have been pumping him full of poison for 4 months and he has started radiation on the hip tumor, since the chemo didn't do the job. Based on what I have learned, you never give up until the very last effort has failed to stop the progress of this nasty disease. I no longer worry how long he has. That kind of thinking is pointless and wastes precious time. We live one day at a time, and enjoy and rejoice in every moment of LIFE. We all die, Dying is not the issue with cancer, learning to LIVE with a diagnosis of cancer is the hard part. Once you learn how to do this, you have won the battle."