Date and plan

scareddaughter24 said:

I am sending thoughts,
I am sending thoughts, prayers, well wishes, good luck, good spirits, positive thinking and all other things that i know will help you get through this
You are awesome
You can do it
Love that you used the work cure!!!
You go for it!!!
xx

Sundanceh said:

Now, Here’s a Meal – Not a Snack (For SteveD)
Steve, I appreciate having you around here. You’ve raised several interesting questions that have some meat left on the bone. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to weigh in with a few thoughts on your topic of “Word Association” with regards to the cancer fight.

“Are we brave because we are fighting cancer?”

The easy answer is Yes, but I’ve always held the belief that Courage, Strength and Bravery comes from us doing the things that we have to do – even though we don’t want to do it.

That’s always been the way of things in life and cancer represents a different obstacle to the many challenges that besets each one of us everyday in what often times seems like a random happening of events that tend to comprise our individual journeys.

I realize you are running your latest gauntlet for the love of your children – that is your motivation. I think partly too, because you still see a shot at cure – and that shot equals Hope – and that makes this worth going for. I've heard you echo that sentiment.

If this were me, I’d be lacking the incentive that you have to make this decision. I got a small taste of the love of a child with my grand niece recently. It was all too short and I tried to use your story to put myself in your place and imagine and weigh the things that you must have been thinking.

But, it’s completely different…

She’s my niece and only 3. And your children are just that – your children. So, if I were making that decision today, as much as I see potential, she’s still too young too really know who I am and as such, I could not find the motivation there for myself to attempt what you are going to do.

It’s just one of the hardest stories and decisions I’ve been privileged to follow here on this board. I guess, I’d have to be able to convince myself that Me would be worth the fight, because when it was all said and done, there would be no physical resources who would align with me when it was over. I’m not sure how my wife would handle this if we found ourselves there - she might run for cover, I just don't know.

I think for me, I'd wake up in the aftermath of it all and just wonder...

So, Bravery, Courage, Strength is what you do have to go through with all of this…there could be many of us, myself included, who might not be able to make the decision to follow through as you have. I’ve done a few things in my fight, but the magnitude of this encompasses anything that I’ve had to deal with.

I just don’t know what I would do – but I know what you are doing for your family and yourself - and it is absolute courageous that you are fighting cancer in this way. I have no doubt that you will be teaching us a thing or two.

As for the general population, I still think it is brave to stand up to – and fight cancer. The alternative would be to cower down and not fight it. I have seen real-life people do this and while I support everyone’s individual right to fight or not, it still is upsetting to not try.


“Are some of us more brave than others?”

The answers here lie shrouded in ambiguity. Again, Yes, some of us are braver, because some of us fight, and other choose not to. As I alluded to, I’ve seen a couple of folks in real-life clinics and hospitals that I frequented put a stamp on it and mail it in, right from the start. They simply did not have what it took to go the long mile. They went through the motions, but lacked the necessary conviction to stay with it, which is so essential.

And we could also say that you are braver than we are, because you are stepping up for this tremendous undertaking while we sit and watch and do not have to endure it. Would we be braver if the situation confronted us?

Hard to say, because none of us know what really lies beneath our own inner core, until that core is exposed to the elements and we are faced with that proposition and must take a decisive action – one way or the other.

How would we handle it?

As always, according to each other’s unique gifts that we possess.

I’ve found that Bravery itself comes in many flavors – anything that is difficult and arduous to overcome in life takes many characters to deal with the task at hand….Courage, Bravery, Strength, Perseverance, Fortitude, Tenacity, Conviction…and of course, Integrity…just to name a few of the players.


“Does fighting and beating cancer make someone more brave than another who lost their battle?”


The answer here is a definitive NO.

“Losing” the battle does not equate to the lack of bravery in any individual’s fight. All of us are brave for doing what we think must be done to give ourselves the chance to be. Bravery knows neither Life nor Death – he only knows what beats inside his chest and what courses through his veins.

I’ve come to think of Bravery as the adrenaline, which serves as the catalyst, to put us into motion to do that, which me must do – at the time that we need to do it.

The fine line that separates the Two Worlds of Cancer is the ultimate dichotomy – the underlying message that is the foundation of cancer itself is simply….that some of us are going to make it – and some of us are not.

I think that message resonates with life as much as it pertains to cancer. After all, cancer represents only a chapter of our lives – what came before – and what we hope will come after.

If we look back at any horrific, catastrophic event in human history – some of us will walk away, while others will not. Whether it is natural disasters, global war, vehicle accidents, or sickness…

Still you have to be brave to face any of life’s challenges, or you’ll be swallowed whole. In its most simplistic terms, perhaps that may just be the definition of what Bravery represents.

I really appreciate your story, Steve. It haunts me, if I’m being completely honest. Our stories are in stark contrast to one another in the manner that cancer has worked us. Getting clear for as many years as you did – and then to recur…

I’ll never forget that post…I’m still feeling the shockwaves, because I think that through others, we can catch a glimpse of ourselves – and see a possible future that we just don’t want to imagine.

Your story still tells me that no matter how many years you get clear, NED should be a 4-letter word and should only be used in hushed tones…it lends the illusion of false hope, as your story prior to this, would have indicated a major success at going over 5-years clear….the gold standard marker that all of us are striving for.

But, the message you delivered was clear…never relax – don’t take your guard down – and don’t assume anything.

It’s a sobering message, but the good ones always are. You’ve showed me that the concerns and apprehensions with regards to cancer, will last me My Lifetime. I wanted to take this opportunity to say “Thank You’ for that message.

I read you loud and clear:)

Nice talking to you, Steve. I’m glad to see the wheels spinning inside your head. Good, thought provoking stuff today. I needed that.

-Craig