Well meaning relatives

WoW!, Mart, with relatives like that who needs enemies? I can't imagine you would ever want to visit there again.

The depressing conversation quit struggling, shake it, forget it.

I looked back at an earlier post of yours and your doctor says he can handle this and you can too and be cancer-free. Listen to your doctor for the final word on treatment and advice not to downer relatives and others. Your doctor said "My radiation oncologist is very upbeat and says he can treat this and it is doable." You are getting Proton therapy and the proper chemo to accentuate it and eradicate your cancer.

You said that you were on Keytruda for 2 years before this so apparently they held off more aggressive treatment for a reason and waited for the right time to go ahead with it. If nothing else the Keytruda kept the cancer at bay and stopped it from growing and I am guessing was shrinking the tumor in your neck. I am guessing they were holding off and shrinking the tumor due to your previous cancer so as to get it to a point where they would not have to give you excessive radiation. Not only is your team eradicating your cancer but they are looking out for you in regard to long-term effects not wanting to give you any more radiation than necessary.

Our medical people are getting smarter with more options and ways to deal with cancer. Sometimes even when they can't get rid of someone's cancer they have ways to keep it stable and not doing anything like growing and spreading for instance thus treating it like a chronic illness and the longer they can keep a person stable a cure for their particular situation may be just on the horizon.

Not that your situation is like this I am of the understanding that your Oncologist has a plan to implement to get you to a cancer-free status. So listen to him and not any nay-sayers or depressing people. Your doc said "This is treatable and doable"

Mart I myself am living proof you can be cancer-free again, I have had cancer 3 times and am cancer-free again since 2020-"Knock On Wood".

Mart listen to your care team and listen to me "YOU GOT THIS", cheer up, brighten up, sing a happy song and put that week with a depressing relative out of your memory. You are Blessed. Stand Strong and don't let anyone steal your hope, joy of life, happiness and future. Trust in God, pray a lot, live life, enjoy what you have been given.

NEGU (Never Ever Give Up)

I celebrate your progress--

Here's to you kid, looking forward--

Count your many Blessings, Name Them One By One--

Wishing You the Best

Take care, God Bless

Russ

Hi Mart!

I'm disappointed in your relative. I'm under the impression that everyone knows that one of the most important things to do to beat any illness is to maintain a positive mental attitude. I have to assume, based on your story, that your relative is not aware of the most basic advice for beating cancer, which suggests to me that she is either totaly misinformed or totally ignorant, therefore you should totally disregard anything she says and get back on your positive track that leads to defeating cancer, even if there is no cure today. When you defeat it, you live to fight another day. Enjoy those days and bless your family with the wisdom that only you have.

We know so much more about how to defeat/cure cancer than we did a few years ago. The researh that is being done each year is done by people who know more about cancer than researchers knew the year before. How much money is spent on cancer research each year is hard to tell because of all the variables involved, but as Carl Sagan would say: "Billions and Billions..." I'm involved in cancer research in my own small way and I can tell you that the best number I can come up with for sure is $49.5B in fiscal 2023 and that number seems to go up at about $2.5B per year.

As I do my own individual research about my situation, I'm almost overwhelmed by the choices of treatment that are available and every time I turn around it seems like their are new options to choose from. It can be a full time job just keeping on top of the options that are available to me in my own unique situation. I can't help but think breakthroughs are just around the corner.

I think this advice works for your current situation:

Always remember to forget the things that made you sad, but never forget to remember the things that made you glad.

I'll leave you with those famous words that we usually hear from Russ, "Never give up!"

I'll continue to keep you in my prayers and may God keep you in the palm of his hand.

Positivity equals longevity.

Diogenese

For those who don't know, a new drug is in Phase I trials. In the lab (according to press), it was able to kill all known tumor cancers without being toxic to healthy cells. Human trials (Phase I) is already on the way.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230801/Phase-1-clinical-trial-underway-to-test-City-of-Hope-developed-cancer-treatment.aspx

The Right to Try bill of 2018 says any drug that passes Phase I trials can be used for people with terminal illnesses (like Cancer).

Everyone keep their fingers crossed.

Mart

Russ is right if it returns it is usually in your lung(s). I had it in my neck in 2009 and it returned in my right lung in 2018. They zapped it five times and it ran away. I was told by my lung oncologist because it returned I will never hear the word cured from him. We all know how life seems to stop after we hear the word CANCER, I heard it threre times and if I allow it to, it will rule my life every day. Unless your relative is a doctor and knows your full history, I would do my best to forget the conversation. I know it's easier said then done but you owe it to yourself and your sanity to do so. I believe your relative was speaking about their satupidity that has no cure.

StayPositiveStayStrong

Jeff