It's true (at least I believe it to be so) the internet has been a benefit to the world. It has brought the world a lot closer together by enabling people all over the world to easily communicate with each other and exchange ideas.
No where is this more apparent then in the case of people diagnosed with serious illnesses, such as cancers. Through medical informational sites, blogs and list serves (newsgroups/email groups), people are able to gather information about various treatments, along with their successes, failures, and complications, from around the world, making better informed patients, not only benefiting themselves, but their doctors as well.
Of course intermixed with all that good information is false information, or at the very least information that is without evidence or proof of efficacy. In that regard people have to be very astute, and able to filter out the good information from the bad, producing false hopes. Unfortunately that isn't always as easy to accomplish as it sounds.
But one of the best things about the internet are the interactions that take place among the people in the various groups, and the personal (albeit many times long distant) relationships that can develop. But at the same time, with more relationships, come more disappointments when those relationships end, either expectedly or unexpectedly.
I typically try to ignore the expressions of emotions and sympathy that pour from the many individuals in the groups as much as possible. I seldom respond to the grieving family, and I seldom read the condolences that are passed along by the other members of the group. If I didn't might just become to overwhelmed with grief.
But every so often, someone comes along that touches you because of their dedication to the list, and their willingness to help and offer encouragement to others, no matter how dire their own situation may be. Such was the case yesterday.
One of the long time members, who had been on the mantle cell list serve at least as long as I have been on it, passed away. He had been sick for quite awhile, and was pretty much out of treatment options, but still, no matter how much you expect some things to happen, it can still come as a shock.
When I read the news, I just felt an emotional let down, and was compelled to write to his widow, expressing my condolences, and write this post.
No where is this more apparent then in the case of people diagnosed with serious illnesses, such as cancers. Through medical informational sites, blogs and list serves (newsgroups/email groups), people are able to gather information about various treatments, along with their successes, failures, and complications, from around the world, making better informed patients, not only benefiting themselves, but their doctors as well.
Of course intermixed with all that good information is false information, or at the very least information that is without evidence or proof of efficacy. In that regard people have to be very astute, and able to filter out the good information from the bad, producing false hopes. Unfortunately that isn't always as easy to accomplish as it sounds.
But one of the best things about the internet are the interactions that take place among the people in the various groups, and the personal (albeit many times long distant) relationships that can develop. But at the same time, with more relationships, come more disappointments when those relationships end, either expectedly or unexpectedly.
I typically try to ignore the expressions of emotions and sympathy that pour from the many individuals in the groups as much as possible. I seldom respond to the grieving family, and I seldom read the condolences that are passed along by the other members of the group. If I didn't might just become to overwhelmed with grief.
But every so often, someone comes along that touches you because of their dedication to the list, and their willingness to help and offer encouragement to others, no matter how dire their own situation may be. Such was the case yesterday.
One of the long time members, who had been on the mantle cell list serve at least as long as I have been on it, passed away. He had been sick for quite awhile, and was pretty much out of treatment options, but still, no matter how much you expect some things to happen, it can still come as a shock.
When I read the news, I just felt an emotional let down, and was compelled to write to his widow, expressing my condolences, and write this post.
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