My friend Dan celebrated his sixth “birthday” today.
Six years ago, he was diagnosed with stage four melanoma. The doctors told Dan that he had two months to live. The best advice the doctors had for him was to get his affairs in order. In his late 30s, never having suffered any serious health problems, all this came a huge shock to Dan and his family.
Dan credits the Wellness Community of cancer patients and Recovery, Inc for mental health as two cornerstones of what got him through to today.
I know some folks on this board have seen some hard times. I don’t know of too many that faced a more hopeless situation than Dan, a “death sentence” from the doctors.
I’m so glad your friend has recovered and I’m happy for his family and friends as well. I’ve never had a friend or family member with such a terrible diagnosis—I can hardly imagine what people must go through.
My dad’s been through the same thing. When he was 21 he had thyroid cancer. It was let go for a very long time, and as a result, he had most of his throat removed and was told not to expect to live to see 25. Then, at 45, he developed melanoma. A huge chunk was taken out of his shoulder, and he was told that, if it recurred, it would be a death sentence. At age 59, the melanoma came back…this time it was in his lymph nodes, and he was told to prepare to die. Months, they said, at best.
He’s 70, and cancer-free.
Never, ever, give up, people. Where there’s life, there’s hope.
someone on this forum whose family was going through an emotional grinder because of his lengthy illness once said, “there is always hope.” your friend dan has shown that to be true. i am happy for him and his friends. i am sure that he now looks at commonplace things in a new and wonderous way.
That’s great news. There’s nothing like reading about a miracle to start the day right.
My next-door neighbor has had his cancer come back for the fourth time (third time they did a bone-marrow transplant, that was about three years ago). I’m hoping he experiences a miracle, too.
A cousin of mine, much older than me, lived about 40 years longer than the doctors ‘gave him’ after extensive cancer surgery. He’d refused to give up smoking on the grounds that he was going to enjoy whatever time remained to him—initially thought to be only a couple of years. He eventually died of respiratory trouble, but he was well over 70 at the time. I suppose he’d have lasted even longer had he given up cigarettes, but then again, maybe not. The human spirit is a strange thing. He’d been a Spitfire pilot in WW2, one of the very youngest.
I wish him the best, and hope for his miracle to continue.
Unfortunately, his is by far the exception, but it certainly proves that ‘the rule’ is not infallible… nor are doctors.
On the other hand, having gone through this with my brother, who proved the other end of the statistics, not living as long as they told him should expect, I think it is still best to prepare for the worst, do get your life in order, do do those thing that you really don’t want to leave this life having not done, and then hope, pray, wish and work for that miracle.
