Lung Cancer not the only cancer

[TJM]

I have a very dear friend whose husband is battling (and losing) Colan cancer.

We had not been in much contact over the last years, but cancer brought us back together. Makes me regret the time we lost.

Even tho she is being an awesome advocate for her husband but she also has the time to care about my situation.

Cancer, any cancer, brings people together. It's only positive attribute.

Peace

Tom

[GaryG]

Tom: My first wife of 30 years died of colon cancer. I stopped working and devoted 2 1/2 years to taking care of her. That was 16 years ago when treatment options were limited to 5FU and Avastin. I never felt so helpless and lost because she was one of those kind and caring people who will do anything to help.

So in a sense this is my second battle with cancer except I feel lucky that my current wife takes good care of me and there are more advanced treatments to give us hope.  You and I are both lucky so thank God for a helping hand.

 

[Judy M2]

I have 2 unrelated cousins with breast cancer. One is 5 years in remission and the other has just had surgery. Cancer has brought us closer, and we totally understand each other's experiences, even if our treatments differed. Unfortunately, there are too many of us out there. 

I remember that in my parents' day, the C word was never discussed. It was something to be hidden and suffered with alone. I can't imagine how difficult that was for our predecessors.

[catlady91]

Sorry to hear about your first wife Gary G; that must have been tough however I'm glad that your story is more hopeful. 

Cancer is extremely common. They say that 1 in 2 people will get cancer which is pretty scary. Unfortunately I don't have much support from friends as they've never had a loved one suffer with cancer which can be lonely and make me feel alone. A lot of people also don't feel comfortable talking about cancer especially in the UK. I think a lot of it stems from lack of education or interest. Before mum was diagnosed, I knew very little about cancer. I myself wouldn't have known what to say to someone with cancer. For me cancer was a black and white thing; either you're cured or it's a death sentence. I had no idea that you could even live with it for many years like a chronic illness!

My mum's diagnosis for me was a big education and still continues to be. I've learnt so much about cancer that I didn't know. I used to assume that all cancer was the same but just in a different place. I didn't know that there was so many different types of tumours and mutations. I didn't know that there's been such big advances in treatment. There also seems to be a lot more attention given to other cancers such as breast cancer which isn't very fair. I think that funding should go to all cancers, no matter how common or uncommon.

I think there needs to be more education about cancer. I think many people shy away from it because they don't know much about it or what to say to people with cancer or to someone with a loved one who has cancer.

[ChiMama]

TJM, Sorry to hear of your friend's husband. I had colon cancer almost 5 years ago, had open surgery, stage 1, no further treatment needed.  I was lucky but will always regret not getting a colonoscopy earlier. 

On the other hand, the nodule in my lung was first seen on the CT done for my CC diagnosis, and that's why it was being watched and was dealt with at an early stage.  And reading about "lung thangs" in the ColonTalk forum is what led me here.

Downsides and upsides to the journey.

[BridgetO]

Hi ChiMama, I was slso one of the "lucky" ones with an early diagnosis from a scan related to an earlier cancer. Mine was a Stage 3 gynecologic cancer that I was having regular CT scans as a follow-up for. 

Bridget O