Tonight, I pass the one year mark since my surgery. It would be a week later when the surgeon would tell us it was cancer, and what my treatment options were. A lot has happened in this year - a lot of good, with some bad tossed in for character-building. I am glad that I am still casting a shadow, and acting as a participating tax-payer in this society. I miss some of the things that will be gone for good, but relish the new opportunities and experiences that fill my days now. Most of all, I hope that this record of my year is of use to anyone facing cancer, particularly adenoid cystic carcinoma.
This isn't a good-bye message, just one marking time. I still face new issues that are uniquely due to having cancer, and I figure I am not alone. I predict that other issues will crop up. Plus, with this type of cancer being rare, the more of us that get together, the more chances we have of getting the attention of health professionals interested in this disease. Right now, I would welcome being a guinea pig for someone's research - at least I would know there was a good outcome of my having cancer.
If you are new to this blog, scroll down the page and start reading from the bottom. If you are newly diagnosed with cancer, please contact your local medical or public library for help in locating information - you really don't have to search the Internet on your own. If you are a seasoned reader, thank you for bending your eyes my way over this past year. I couldn't have made it as far as I have without all the support I have received. It may sound maudlin, but I feel like I have been to my own funeral - you know, when they say all the good things about the person that has died. I am lucky, since I have heard them while I am still kicking. I plan to pass along that gift to others, and not wait until it is too late to say the good things.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Teresa--these milestones are important, I think, whether you mark them with a party, a quiet glass of something, or a post on your blog.
No clinical trials for you? That's a great blog topic: Cancer patient urgently searching for clinical trial (a bit tongue-in-cheek, perhaps?)
Because, as you know, generally it's the other way around: researchers can't find enough cancer patients willing to sign up.
Jeanne
www.assertivepatient.com
I have passed throught the 2 year mark with this cancer. I was in remission for 2 years after radiation and now I am having recurring pain and symtoms. I am very lost and need help finding resouces like groups, trials, ect... I would grately appreciate any help or advise you have.
Lilly
Post a Comment