April Update

[twodogs]

I'll be emailing this to our local weekly newspaper editor in the morning.

John

I send out email updates to my family and friends whenever I have any events in my cancer progress or treatment. This is pretty much the latest issue and it may be appropriate, particularly in view of the up-coming Cancer Relays for Life.

Cancers of all sorts exist in our community and we meet people suffering from this disease every where we go, young and old.

" April Cancer Update April 23, 2008

I had a couple good days at the Gillette Hospital Cancer Center, (The world’s greatest Oncology Clinic), Tuesday and Wednesday. We got there a little early both days and I just flashed through my blood draw and CAT scan on Tuesday. On Wednesday we got a good report from the Doctor. My cancer site size has decreased and so has the amount of fluid in the pleural lining.

We started the chemo and blood infusion procedures just before 9:00 AM and got out of there at 5:15 PM. Another full shift but things really went well and we were close to setting a new speed record, even using the lengthier and more drug intensive procedure I'm now on.

While there, we met and chatted with a teenage girl who was being treated for causes she did not care to share with us. Her Grandma was there with her and it appears they’re new to this whole situation. They seemed eager for any kind of information and seemed to hang on every word they heard. It didn’t matter to them whether it was from staff or patients or caregivers. We are off-cycle for meeting them again for a while as she’s on an "every - other - week" routine and I’m on that; “go two weeks - skip two weeks routine. That’s too bad because I'd sure like to spend more time talking to them. Everything is so depressing and terrifying early in these cases and everyone I've met has felt so helpless early on.

It seems like we’ve always got some young person in there who couldn’t possibly have brought this on themselves. For all the bad things about cancer, one of its worse characteristics is, it often attacks the most innocent among us, our babies and our other kids, (ours of those "other' type are in their 40’s).

Thankfully, we all know quite a bit about breast cancer because of the publicity and those who are targeted by that disease. But, did you all know that Lung Cancer, not Breast Cancer, is the leading threat to women in the United States? Lung Cancer actually kills more women than breast cancer. It is the presumption that all lung cancer is brought on by smoking that muddles that issue. And while there is ample cause to make this presumption, it still strikes randomly and without warning. (Okay, there is a warning on the cigarette pack, but not on the air we breathe or all the food and water we consume.) Cancers of all sorts exist in our community and we meet people, young and old, suffering from this disease, every where we go.

All successful cancer treatment research eventually benefits the full range of cancers. Two of the drugs I currently take were developed for treating cancer other than lung cancer. Hopefully, you or your family will be spared the horror of finding this out first hand.

All cancers are bad cancers. It strikes without discrimination or logic. Many are deadly but many are curable.

We can be part of the solution.

If you’re having a Cancer Support event of any kind in your area, please throw a couple bucks in the pot or join in the event.

I’m going to try to get some of this in my radio bit for a couple sessions. Feel free to use it for whatever benevolent purposes you may have. Beyond that, all U.S. copyright laws, restrictions regulations, prohibitions,. I’ll sue your a** implications, blah, blah, blah and etc., apply.

John

[SandraL]

That's a great article John. Keep up the much needed advocacy work.