Update on husband

sheri22 said:

Thinking of you
Michelle

Just to say I have been thinking of you bothe often, you are such a special person to keep everyone updated with everything you have been going thru, I hope your husband does get to ride again you are bothe in my prayers

Sheri22

msccolon said:

stage IV and life expectancy
the funny thing about it is that the longer you are here, the easier it is to remember that you are LIVING with cancer and not dying of it. At first, we all focus on the possibility of eminent death; we are only human and have heard all and seen all the hype about cancer in general. But, then you survive the 6 months of crap that is chemo and you move into a period of no chemo and you get to feeling better. Then, a year passes and all you can think is WOW! The year went by in a blur and you realize you have to pay more attention to your days! So then you start enjoying the days you have and trying not to think about the beast, and that possibility of eminent death. If you get a recurrence, you have the blessing of knowing that you survived treatment before, and the expectation of kicking it's behind once more! You become a stronger, more determined warrior and you move from considering chemo as poison and thinking more of it being another weapon in your arsenal against the beast. You rally yourself and your loved ones and you fight on! It's a wonderful thing, the way we humans work! When we gather together for a united goal, we can be unstoppable! And it makes the journey so much easier and so much more delightful! Hang tough. Every day you wake up is another day to get it right and fight it hard!

ETA: I realized after I posted this that I needed to add some thoughts, since the beginning post is from Michelle and Angel, who are having a very hard time with this very ugly beast. Another hard aspect of this disease is when we see others go through what very well may be OUR future. Know that my heart goes out to you, Michelle and Angel, as it does for all of us; what you are experiencing is exactly why we are so scared when we hear those 3 words. I know that it is hard for you to read about others who have had miraculous recoveries and are enjoying "the good life". We all ask, why can't I be the one who hears NED, why can't I be the one who went in for surgery and found that all tumor was gone, why can't I be ... We are living what is the reality of our lives and we are, hopefully, doing it with dignity and strength. We are always being watched by those around us, and we hope to be an inspiration for them into their futures. One day we will know the answers to the whys, but for now, all we can do is the best that we can do. Reach out to those around you who are willing and able to help; God sends us angels, sometimes in the most unlikely of people. Give yourself time to reflect and rejuvenate before you head into the battle. We owe it to ourselves as well as to our loved ones.

Ok, now I'll get off that box.

mary

CherylHutch said:

Michelle.. YOU are awesome!
Seriously... I don't think you realize how, no matter how unintentionally, you are so admired and looked up to. You are going through hell and back... the worst of moments and yet beautiful moments as well.. and still, you take the time to come here and post updates for the rest of us. Some of those updates have got to be so hard for you to post and I'm hoping at the same time are giving you some release to be able to put them in writing.

There are caregivers, such as yourself, and those of us fighting the battle as is Angel... so we all look up to your posts for different reasons. The caregivers can so very much relate to what you are going through and how you are doing it. Those of us fighting the beast are looking at Angel's story and asking "WHY??" and then relating it to our own journey and always wondering, "Will I go through a similar experience as Angel and, if so, how will I handle it?"

So, in case this time just goes by in a blur, I would like to say, probably on behalf of a lot of us... THANK YOU! Thank you for being you and taking the time to share your and Angel's experiences with us because, as hard as they are, you have no idea just how much they mean to all of us.

Huggggggs,

Cheryl