Martha (mp327) you are an Angel!

and I appreciate Martha as well!

TraceyUSA said:

Well said Laz!

Martha - I appreciate you as well!

Awwwwwwwwww, thank you!  And I appreciate you too.  We are all in this together!

Martha

mp327 said:

Laz

OMG, your post brought tears to my eyes!  How very kind of you to say all of these nice things!  I am nearly speechless (which, trust me, doesn't happen very often!).  I thank you from the bottom of my heart and want you to know that I greatly appreciate your friendship and support.  You, yourself, have contributed so much to our discussions on this site and given us such good advice and information, so I send big thanks to you for that!  We have a great group of people here and you are a big part of that.

I will say this.  When I was diagnosed in June 2008 with anal cancer, I had absolutely no one to speak to who had personal knowledge of this type of cancer and it was very, very scary!  I didn't know online support sites existed and not until I was about 4 weeks into my treatment did I get to speak to someone who was receiving the same treatment for the same disease.  Even though she was 2 weeks behind me and couldn't really tell me what to expect, I could tell her, and we were great support for each other.  That was all the support I had from someone who truly understood what I was going through.  My treatment ended in September 2008 and it wasn't until almost 3 months later that I happened upon the first support site.  After that, I joined a couple others, including this one.  Since it's been over 7 years for me, it would be easy to drop off and move on.  However, I always think back to those early days in this journey and how much it would have benefitted me to have the advice and encouragement of others who knew exacty what I was going through.  This is why I stick around.  I have forgotten a lot of things over the years, so perhaps I don't have the best advice, as compared to others who are currently in treatment or not as far out as I am.  However, I do see benefit for others to hear from a longterm survivor such as myself.  I would have been much more empowered and encouraged during my treatment if I had known that longterm survivorship was not only possible, but probable, given my staging.

Again, Laz, I thank you for your kind words and I am always happy to see you still posting here.  I know you have certainly had your ups and downs, but I hope you are weathering those storms, staying strong, and enjoying your life.  You are an inspiration to me and I feel blessed to know you.  Take care and may God bless you too!

Martha

i have always viewed you as the fearless leader.  Your wealth of knowledge on this subject is so appreciated by all who come here.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support that you have given me and all the others who have come seeking knowledge and comfort.  

mp327 said:

Lorikat

Thank you so much, Lorikat.  I appreciate you and everyone on this board.  We all contribute what we can and it adds up to helping someone who, like me nearly 8 years ago, was scared and confused. 

I was diagnosed in August, posted a few times, but mainly go to the site for information. Pretty much from the start I could tell Martha was the "go to" person. Although the journey has not been pleasant, the infomation and suggestions have been priceless. I am sure there are many people like myself that feel the same. Thank you for everything!!! Steve

lab guy said:

Martha is obviously everyones favorite

I was diagnosed in August, posted a few times, but mainly go to the site for information. Pretty much from the start I could tell Martha was the "go to" person. Although the journey has not been pleasant, the infomation and suggestions have been priceless. I am sure there are many people like myself that feel the same. Thank you for everything!!! Steve

Thank you for your kind comments, Steve!  I always believe that if I can say just one thing to help someone, then it's all good.  I will tell you this though.  The support and information I have gotten from others on this site has been invaluable to me.  I do not know everything and a lot of the information I post has come from others on this site or the other two sites I'm on.  I like to think of myself as a "sharer."  lol!  We have a lot of smart people here!  Thank you again for being so sweet.

Martha

Phoebesnow said:

Martha

i have always viewed you as the fearless leader.  Your wealth of knowledge on this subject is so appreciated by all who come here.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support that you have given me and all the others who have come seeking knowledge and comfort.  

I can only reiterate what others are saying and have said. If your memory regarding treatment is a bit faded after 7 years, then that is just great, & something for which I too hope. From my personal experience (well cyber experience) of your support, it is unswerving. Your responses, whilst factual and direct, are always sensitive. You are a fantastic advocate despite your own difficulties. 

For Joanne, I thank her also, because without me being able to have found this site, I would have struggled so very much during treatment. I would not have known what was to be expected or how to have managed the side effects. For many, the lack of information from the professionals is all too often seriously lacking. Just when you need them most eh? 

I can't thank you both enough, & thank you Laz for posting so thoughtfully. I hope you are doing well.

Liz

mp327 said:

Phoebesnow

You are so very kind to say that.  I don't really think I'm the leader here.  That honor will always go to Joanne who left us all too soon.  However, she knew that those of us out there who were diagnosed with anal cancer needed a place to get and lend support and she made it happen!  She realized that CSN did not have a group for AC and it was her request that got us our own group.  If we want to give praise to someone who did more to help all of us than anyone else, it would be her, in my mind.  With that said, I do thank you so much for your sweet comments--they are sincerely appreciated.

Martha

 

pializ said:

Martha

I can only reiterate what others are saying and have said. If your memory regarding treatment is a bit faded after 7 years, then that is just great, & something for which I too hope. From my personal experience (well cyber experience) of your support, it is unswerving. Your responses, whilst factual and direct, are always sensitive. You are a fantastic advocate despite your own difficulties. 

For Joanne, I thank her also, because without me being able to have found this site, I would have struggled so very much during treatment. I would not have known what was to be expected or how to have managed the side effects. For many, the lack of information from the professionals is all too often seriously lacking. Just when you need them most eh? 

I can't thank you both enough, & thank you Laz for posting so thoughtfully. I hope you are doing well.

Liz

Thank you so very much for your kind comments.  I am quite humbled by your's and the others'.  I really don't know what to say.  I just look at this as us all being in this together--all for one and one for all!  Joanne would be so pleased to know that this group is so active and supportive of one another.  Her insight and determination to act on it has helped so many people.  I am doing well, thank you for your concern.  I hope all is well with you too!  Thank you again for your kindness and contributions to this great group!

Martha 

sephie said:

yea martha

i ditto all the wonderful kind words bestowed on you , martha.....thankyou so much for staying on and contributing..... i ,also , had no one in 2009 to ask what to do or what was going to happen....thanks also to Joanne for placing AC on the website..... i remember that after i was finished with radiation and had enough strength to look on the website, you, Martha, had posted the NCCN web site.....invaluable info....thanks again, my friend.....sephie

Hi Sephie and thank you for your kind remarks.  How sweet of you!  I would also say the same about you, being one of our long-term contributors on this site.  You have given many people lots of good information and great support and you've stuck with us!  I completely understand some people needing to move on, but I admire anyone like you who continues to be here for everyone else, including me!  Thank you for that!  Hugs!

Martha

eihtak said:

Martha....

I could not pass on agreeing with others and to express my sincere appreciation for your input.  I too was unaware of this site during treatment and would have benefited greatly had I known about it.  I have since passed the word to my medical team of the help provided here, yet I sometimes feel like they frown upon what they "perceive" as non professional advice.  When I ask then for an anal cancer support group in person in my area and they are unable to respond, the tables turn slightly.  Then, when I back it up with survivor stories such as you and others over 5 years as well as backing of the ACS they listen!

Thank you again for sharing so much of your personal experience in a way that truely helps others to cope through what would otherwise be so much worse.

katheryn

Thank you so much, my dear friend.  How sweet of you.  How I wish that both of us had found this site prior to the start of treatment.  It certainly would have made my journey much easier.  I never thought that I would need such a place, but I realize that I really do.  Getting to talk with other survivors who have endured the same treatment and at times, suffering, is much more supportive than anything I've gotten from my doctors or nurses.  When I first joined this site, I thought my time here would be short--that I would soon recover, return to life as it was before and never look back.  However, we all know it's not quite that simple.  I am beginning to think of myself as sort of a "train wreck" when it comes to my health!  lol!  Perhaps that is a little strong--let's say "fender bender."    But as banged up as I feel sometimes, I know I can always come here and get words of encouragement and support.  I am glad that I am able to post about all of these things, whether they relate to the AC or not.  Everyone here is wonderful, including you!  Thank you!

Martha