Hi...I'm Zach.
My mother Ruth is 70 and had been diagnosed with stage IIIa (Squamous Cell). She's not a candidate for surgery because of lung capacity test. She also has mets to her subcarinal lymph nodes.
She was initially diagnosed on 11/25 and we were yanked around for 2 months about the possibility of surgery. Eventually after not hearing back from the surgeon, we realized she wasn't a candidate. Mom finally started treatment on 2/3 (yesterday). She's on Carbo/Taxol for 7 wks. with the accompanying radiation.
This is mom's 3rd battle with cancer. Hodgkin s in the 80's, Breast Cancer in '02, and now Lung Cancer. Oh yeah, she had TB in the early 60's too.
Mom's not very mobile (she has hip/lower back problems) so I have ended taking care of her a lot. She's an independent woman in spirit now rather than in action
I am her only child and live over an hour away, so I have to drive down to Denver, CO frequently to take her to appointments and such.
I know from reading the stats and stories that this is a losing battle. Am I the only one that find's the offices/waiting rooms/staff annoyingly cheerful? Everything seems so saccharine and "fakely" sweet....
