Cancer sucks

[Bodhisattva]

Received some horrible news from a friend and former business school classmate of mine. Her husband was diagnosed with brain cancer last June on Father's Day. He passed away today on Valentine's Day. He leaves behind a young daughter and son. To make this even crueler, Deborah lost her own father to cancer when she was young. Her children will now have to experience growing up the same way as she did. Cancer sucks.

 

[Bazza]

Sorry to hear, Bodhi.

Lost my Dad when I was 14 and was told brain tumor, but that was back in '68 and I don't know that it really wasn't brain cancer.

Sad but I'm always grateful that at least I was old enough to know who my Dad was as a person and have conversations and experiences with him that a son should have.

I hope the same can be said for your good friend's two children.

I also heard through social media I lost 4 classmates recently, one of whom a roommate of mine one summer in college.

 

[AlistarWills]

Cancer does indeed suck. Watched my mother wither and die from pancreatic cancer less than a year ago. And it could have been caught very early if someone bothered to look at the CAUSE of the symptoms instead of just prescribe a pill for the symptoms.

 

[Zorak]

Dealing with cancer myself. I’m one of the fortunate ones, that with an 8% 5-year survival rate with my particular brand, I’m defying the odds at hitting 2 1/2 years since *diagnosis* (God only knows how long I had it before diagnosis since I was diagnosed at stage 3B). My biggest fear is not being there for my kids as they grow up (son and daughter are 7 and 5, respectively). I’m thankful for the time I’ve had since then, and hope for many more years as my treatment continues to work very well. (And actually I have a PET scan scheduled in about an hour). Unfortunately, through support groups, I’ve known of many people with this cancer who are dead within a matter of weeks. It’s a particularly nasty and aggressive one, with a similar prognosis as pancreatic cancer (in fact, that’s what I thought it was at first).

So sorry to hear about your friend’s husband. Cancer sucks, indeed.

 

[Bamaatthebeach]

I'm so sorry. Two friends, co-workers, were both diagnosed with esphogeal cancer in 2018. Apparently, it is one of the worst. One of these guys smoked constantly; the other not at all. Both passed away the following summer. It was a sad, sad time as all I could do was try to be supportive. One friend was 51 and left behind a wife. The other was 38 and left a wife and two young kids. At least for Andre, the younger, a group of friends was able to organize a benefit at a local restaurant with all kinds of donations. It netted over 65K to help with the medical expenses that were not covered by insurance for his wife. He knew his prognosis. He just didn't want to leave her burdened with debt. Tragic. What else can you say?

 

[Bamaatthebeach]

Dealing with cancer myself. I’m one of the fortunate ones, that with an 8% 5-year survival rate with my particular brand, I’m defying the odds at hitting 2 1/2 years since *diagnosis* (God only knows how long I had it before diagnosis since I was diagnosed at stage 3B). My biggest fear is not being there for my kids as they grow up (son and daughter are 7 and 5, respectively). I’m thankful for the time I’ve had since then, and hope for many more years as my treatment continues to work very well. (And actually I have a PET scan scheduled in about an hour). Unfortunately, through support groups, I’ve known of many people with this cancer who are dead within a matter of weeks. It’s a particularly nasty and aggressive one, with a similar prognosis as pancreatic cancer (in fact, that’s what I thought it was at first).

So sorry to hear about your friend’s husband. Cancer sucks, indeed.

I wish the best for you! I believe every positive word can help. Stay strong!

 

[Ole Man Dan]

I lost my Father to Cancer, and I've lost many friends and colleagues to cancer. It's a cruel way to die.

 

[Padreruf]

I lost my Father to Cancer, and I've lost many friends and colleagues to cancer. It's a cruel way to die.

Yes it is...at least for the person dying. It is easier on the family than a sudden heart attack...with cancer they have time to grieve before the fact...
We all wish to grow old and die an "easy" death...the last statistics that I saw indicated that only 10% of people get to do that.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

A very good friend of mine is going through breast cancer. She opened up to me that she doesn't feel "sexy" anymore. I had no idea what to say to her.

 

[92tide]

sorry to hear about your friend, bhodi. lost my dad to cancer in 2012 and my step-mom is currently being treated for breast cancer. have a good friend that went through a nasty treatment regimen for colon cancer last year. it seems like he's good to go for now though.

i had a brain tumor removed in 2014, thankfully it was benign.

 

[Padreruf]

A very good friend of mine is going through breast cancer. She opened up to me that she doesn't feel "sexy" anymore. I had no idea what to say to her.

You could just listen and also tell her that being "sexy" is about a lot more than having breasts...depending on how well you know her.

 

[Elefantman]

Uiiíii'loiu/. 7p0404p;[--48fkp[8-4tv'o'[-t4[[I 4phpp7]5=5

 

[Elefantman]

6

 

[MobtownK]

A very good friend of mine is going through breast cancer. She opened up to me that she doesn't feel "sexy" anymore. I had no idea what to say to her.

My Nana is dying of breast cancer. She's 88 and decided to not get treatment. Grandaddy died a few years ago & she misses him. She's not worried about being sexy. But she had it in her early 60s too.

I've had multiple issues with mine - & am scheduled for another early mammogram & ultrasound in a couple of weeks. It's scary as hell to have breast issues, and self confidence can take a hit - especially when you don't feel great anyway because they hurt.

Idk how old your friend is, or if she still has her hair or not. But tell her that she's beautiful. And breasts (&/or hair) don't define beauty. That she's strong for going through it - & that has more to do with attraction than any one physical feature. Boobs don't make or break any woman. And if they are the defining feature of attraction to a man - then she's better off without him anyway. It will mean a lot to her coming from a man's perspective instead of just from her girlfriends. We are use to this & grow up with it. It hits a bit different coming from the opposite sex.


(not saying that boobs aren't attractive, of course they are - but if that's all he's interested in, a huge red flag)

 

[Bodhisattva]

A friend and neighbor down the street lost his two-year battle with a rare form of leukemia earlier this week. Collin fought long and hard to stay with his wife and four boys. (The oldest is my daughter's age and Lily took surfing lessons from him last summer.) After every experimental treatment had been exhausted, Kelci finally convinced Collin that he didn't have to suffer anymore. She and the boys would be ok. Collin wanted to come home, and did so on Tuesday. There is a small park across the street from their house. Friends and neighbors gathered from a vigil late the next day. Scores of people showed up. Collin passed away shortly after the vigil started. The collective grief was near unbearable. As a neighborhood, we are offering whatever support we can to the family. It's taken me a long time to type this through the tears and anger. God, I hate cancer! Cruel bastard.