Skip to main content

One by one

We're slowly being pick off.

At least that's how Edie felt after hearing one more friend has likely been diagnosed with lymphoma. (The diagnosis was made based on a CT scan only, but the doctor was pretty confident in his diagnosis. More tests are being run.)

Still, when I started to take an inventory of everyone around me who has been diagnosed with some serious illness, I couldn't help but think to myself, there just maybe something to that statement.

Since my diagnosis with Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) in 2002, my wife has been diagnosed wit Multiple Myeloma (MM), another friend with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL), two bike riding buddies, one with NHL as well, and the other with bone cancer, two wine drinking friends, husband and wife, with prostrate and breast cancer respectively, a third with cirrhosis of the liver and another is currently receiving treatment for breast cancer.

Counting me, that's 9 people, and very likely 10 who have been diagnosed with some sort of cancer.

This is just too bizarre for words, and seems more than coincidental. I just wish I had the answer.

I always knew I was way ahead of my time. This just wasn't what I had expected.
Labels:

Comments

Becky said…
Geez, that's depressing and it's not even counting co-workers and their spouses. Like Pat, Donbo, Bill and those at our sister company.

Perhaps it is just basic statistics. The older you become and the longer you have friends the odds are greater that something will eventually befall someone.

But that in itself is of no comfort.

I, too, know numerous people with cancer and sometimes it overwhelms me. You, Edie, two Kristen's with breast cancer, that was weird,(one is now cancer free and the other maintaining on an even keel) and of course the same co-workers as you. I remember when I found out about you and I never would have thought that you would still be working and productive and you actually seem healthier (to me) this many years after your initial diagnosis.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't start working on a eulogy yet and maybe the secret to a happy life is to live each day as if you were dying.

I do tend to ramble, dont' I?
11:46 AM
Tricia said…
Yup, there is a conspiracy by the government to pick us off so that social security will exist for the young ones. LOL

But seriously I agree with you, within the past 2 years, my mother in-law passed away from ovarian, step father in-law died of prostrate, father in-law from pancreatic cancer, and my brother in-law was diagnosed with (NHL), and a very healthy athlete was diagnosed with rectal cancer.

My word for the day is prevention of course it would be nice if we knew what was causing it in the first place.

Hmm, I was talking to my hubby this morning about my grandmother and wouldn’t she be surprised with all the technology we have today. In a very short period of time we have loaded our world with new technology that drains energy. Microwaves, VCR, DVD’s, Cell Phones, Computers, Wireless Phone, Coffee Pots, PDA’s, and that is in the household, just think about the medical side of things.
10:28 PM
Marc said…
Oh, and you can't forget the internet!

Just think how much energy is being drained while I sit here in front of my computer, surfing. :)
10:49 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...
1 comment
Read more

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...
Post a Comment
Read more