I know it’s no news flash, but I just wanted to get it out.
This past December, my sister-in-law found out she had breast cancer. She was 34 years-old when she was diagnosed. The tumour was large and they removed it immediately. Apparently the younger you are, the more aggressive the cancer is because your body is creating new cells at a faster rate—including cancer cells.
Luckily, as far as cancer goes, hers was the best possible scenario. It was non-invasive and none of it was found in her lymph nodes. She is 3/4 of the way through her chemotherapy, and her hair is beginning to grow back. After this is 25 straight days of radiation.
Throughout this ordeal she has remained strong and positive for the most part. I think that surviving this sort of thing makes a person stronger. She’s expected to make a full recovery.
Then there is my grandfather. He was recently diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He won’t be so lucky. His is at an advanced stage. He hasn’t eaten anything solid in at least 3 weeks, probably 4. He is just skin and bone now. He has lost so much weight, his jaw can’t even hold in his dentures. He will probably die of starvation soon.
My aunt’s mother-in-law recently died of cancer.
There was this guy I knew in high school who died of cancer at the age of 21. I don’t remember what kind he had, all I know is that he left us way too early.
Another girl I knew from high school is in the process of fighting breast cancer. She can’t be any older than 29.
My best friend’s Aunt beat breast cancer it a few years ago.
A friend of Tanya’s in her late 20s, early 30s has just completed her final treatment. She was much more severe than my sister-in-law was, but she has beaten it.
These are just the stories that have touched my life in some form or another. As you can see, many of them have had happy endings, but not all of them.
I don’t know if I’ve just been hit with it more closely these days or if incidents are actually going up. All I do know is that it is not an old person’s disease, it can happen to anyone at any time.
There have been so many advancements in treatments over the past 10 years. Organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society have been doing some great work.
I’m not one to solicit donations for anything. I realize we are so bombarded with requests of charity every day and charity fatigue can set in. So all I’ll ask, is that if you’re going to make a donation to some cause this month or year, please consider making it your local cancer research organization.
That’s all I have to say about that for now. Feel free to post a comment on how cancers has touched your life.
What are you thinking?