Comments on: Long Week Falling http://www.cancercanbiteme.com/2009/09/13/long-week-falling/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=long-week-falling A Journal of Recovery Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:32:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: JB http://www.cancercanbiteme.com/2009/09/13/long-week-falling/comment-page-1/#comment-230 JB Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:44:47 +0000 http://cancercanbiteme.wordpress.com/?p=377#comment-230 Our diagnosis are very different yours and mine. 21 months ago, at age 32 I was diagnosed as stage IV melanoma, pretty much a death sentence. But almost 2 years later and I feel totally fine and I seem to have reached some sort of equilibrium with my cancer and my tumors aren't growing much. No one that doesn't know me would guess that I have cancer in my lungs, blood, and lymphatic system. I still play soccer with guys many years younger than me. All that said, once I made peace with the idea that eventually I will die, probably of cancer, but maybe by being hit by a bus, my perspective on life shifted a bit. By making peace with my eventual death (perhaps/probably by cancer) I have been able to live most days happy and relatively unencumbered. Even though our diagnosis are very different, there might be something you might learn by looking at things differently. Despite everything you or your doctors do, you may have cancer for the rest of your life. Perhaps you could still live to be 60 or 80 or 100. That would make you a long-term cancer survivor. Enjoying a life with cancer is still enjoying life. Our diagnosis are very different yours and mine. 21 months ago, at age 32 I was diagnosed as stage IV melanoma, pretty much a death sentence. But almost 2 years later and I feel totally fine and I seem to have reached some sort of equilibrium with my cancer and my tumors aren’t growing much. No one that doesn’t know me would guess that I have cancer in my lungs, blood, and lymphatic system. I still play soccer with guys many years younger than me.

All that said, once I made peace with the idea that eventually I will die, probably of cancer, but maybe by being hit by a bus, my perspective on life shifted a bit. By making peace with my eventual death (perhaps/probably by cancer) I have been able to live most days happy and relatively unencumbered.

Even though our diagnosis are very different, there might be something you might learn by looking at things differently.

Despite everything you or your doctors do, you may have cancer for the rest of your life. Perhaps you could still live to be 60 or 80 or 100. That would make you a long-term cancer survivor.

Enjoying a life with cancer is still enjoying life.

]]> By: Topher http://www.cancercanbiteme.com/2009/09/13/long-week-falling/comment-page-1/#comment-229 Topher Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:51:58 +0000 http://cancercanbiteme.wordpress.com/?p=377#comment-229 Hey Bro, Yeah, we all know Dr. Charming and his wonderful skills of consolation, but you have come so much further than his initial conference with us seemed to indicate as possible. He probably has some history of getting someone's hopes up and it not working out, and the pendulum has swung to the other side. Or maybe he just wants to appear to be a miracle worker. He probably gives twelve such conferences a day and just does them all with the same ambivalence, unaware of how people perceive it. Either way, I hope you know how much we all admire your bravery and progress through this ordeal. You know you have made progress. We all do. We also know you are not going to give up. You can do this. Hey Bro,
Yeah, we all know Dr. Charming and his wonderful skills of consolation, but you have come so much further than his initial conference with us seemed to indicate as possible. He probably has some history of getting someone’s hopes up and it not working out, and the pendulum has swung to the other side. Or maybe he just wants to appear to be a miracle worker. He probably gives twelve such conferences a day and just does them all with the same ambivalence, unaware of how people perceive it. Either way, I hope you know how much we all admire your bravery and progress through this ordeal. You know you have made progress. We all do. We also know you are not going to give up. You can do this.

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