On cancer and "toughness"

[Danmel]

I wish John McCain well, as I would for any person facing a diagnosis as dire as glioblastoma multiform, a particularly lethal and aggressive cancer.
I have two things I want to say:
One of the things that drives me craziest is the whole "he/she is so tough, cancer doesn't know who it's up against."
Cancer is an insidious disease. It doesn't matter how tough you are. I hate the idea that if you are tough enough, you'll survive. I know people don't know what to say but I find this one particularly offensive.
As to McCain, I will never forgive him for Sarah Palin, without whom I firmly believe, there is no Donald Trump.
I'll never forget his referring to President Obama as "that one."
I'll never forget his use of air quotes with talking about women's health and abortion.
I do believe that people can change, and I hope that he sees the light. I don't wish him dead but I hope they freed from selling his soul to keep his Senate seat, he comes to the true meaning of service and maybe persuades some of his caucus colleagues to understand how critical access to health care is.

[dembotoz]

1. Being less vile than many in the gop is indeed a low bar

[rtracey]

19. hmmmm well

Well, Im not sure how less vile, for example ...https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/john-mccain/

McCain voted 90% of what Trump supported, including many repeals that controlled pollution in streams , and rivers. You know, the pollutants that MAY CAUSE CANCER.....

[pangaia]

22. Exactly. The hell and sufferring this man has

had a hand in causing other human beings is enormous.

I wish him well.

[sharedvalues]

2. This disease will kill him. It kills everyone.

GBM mortality rate after 2 years is over 90%.
It's a terrible disease.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

6. NO, it doesn't. MORE & MORE patients ARE recovering

from all kinds of "terminal" CANCERS, INCLUDING BUT DEFINITELY not limited to advanced pancreatic, Liver, testicular, BRAIN, (astrocytomas, gliomas, meningiomas, etc), cervical-you name it. I personally KNOW 2 people who beat the HELL out of high grade brain cancer...HOW? Cannabis oil.. IT REALLY works. I'm walking, talking, breathing proof of it. For the moment, the increasing number of SURVIVORS are anecdotal BUT many people are collating the names, diagnosis & prognosis, type, stage & outcome of people who've turned to this blessed oil when there was NO hope from conventional chemo- & radio-therapies to give to researchers...IT WORKS!!

The only real issue is having enough time for the meds to work.

[Raven]

11. You don't know what you're talking about with respect to this cancer. n/t

[tallahasseedem]

40. Recommended

more than you could possibly know!

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

45. I AM an American woman who was diagnosed with STAGE 4B metastatic

squamous cell cervical cancer, complicated with visceral gangrene...I'm NOT trying to score points but to spread the word about the role of Cannabinoids in the treatment of Cancer in human beings. I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!! The ONLY thing that SEEMS to limit Cannabis is the amount of time given to allow the substance to work & I WILL not back down nor take back my comments. I KNOW FIRST HAND as my ONCOLOGIST was GOBSMACKED to find that I was not only ALIVE, (haven't had any chemo or tadiotherapy since September 30, 2011) but OBSCENELY HEALTHY...

[maxsolomon]

47. I'm sure you know what works for you, and your struggle with Cervical Cancer

but many of us have experience with Glioblastomas in our families, and we also know what we are talking about. It takes people fast. It took my mother in 6 months, and it would have been 6 weeks if not for surgery.

I don't think you have a Glioblastoma.

A DU word of advice: your irate, resentment-fueled posting technique isn't likely to earn you many "Welcome to DUs", let alone a lengthy stay. Good luck to you.

[tallahasseedem]

49. I'm so sorry for your loss...

My family member passed three weeks after surgery. It caught us all off guard.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

50. First all, I've been a member of Du since 2004 but lost my password to my original screenname..

Secondly, I was pissed by the comment to my comment about the fact that John McCain DOES NOT have to die. I know at least 5 people who were diagnosed with GBM, (only 2 has less than stage 4 GRADE 4 disease) who are ALIVE today WITHOUT any discernable disease and the ONLY thing they used was a Cannabis Oil Regimen. So, you're wrong. The ONLY reason its ANECDOTAL, is due to nonsensical political blockage of it and what it can do for a multitude of horrific disease & syndromes

[maxsolomon]

73. You could have acquired a new password any time you wanted.

Everyone had to get a new one after the election day attack. It's not even hard.

I'll check my list to see if I blocked you previously. It's possible.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

74. NOT that it's any of your business BUT the reason I couldn't get a new password

has EVERYTHING to do with that cancer thing I was dealing with AND I have NUMEROUS email accounts because I have online businesses, ever heard of CHEMOBRAIN? Besides, I don't have to justify OR qualify ANYTHING with you, my dear. PLEASE feel free to block me... No skin off my nose.

[WinkyDink]

64. Different cancer. Different area affected. I do not, however, doubt your experience at all.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

67. Yes, WinkyDink BUT as I just posted to another DU'er, I treated @ a FAMOUS

cancer center, CTCA and was surrounded by HUNDRED of cancer patients, most of them fighting rare &/or VERY advanced cANCERS. Those who were completely orthodox and followed the conventional treatment were rewarded with extra time, (MAYBE), the vast majority lacked any real quality of life. Those who decided to go against the grain, that I knew of, are NOT only still with us BUT HEALTHY....
I have seen recovery from Metastatic Pancreatic, Brain, (astrocytomas, meningiosarcomas, Malignant Schwannomas, Gliomas, GBM), Cervical, (squamous, adenocarcinoma), Endometrial, Uterine, ALL skin cancers, including metastatic melanoma, LUNG CANCERS, Hepatic, renal, Bone cancers,Carcinoid cancer, Thyroid, adenoid, ovarian, testicular, penile, vaginal, vulvar, ALL colorectal cancers, Lymphomas, ( hodgkins & non hodgkins included), blood cancers, Including multiple myeloma, Angiosarcoma, Synovial sarcoma, Bladder cancers, Stomach cancers, cancers of the mouth, & esophagus, Cancers of the eye, Neurofibrosarcomas, Breast Cancers, (Including inflammatory breast cancer) & do many others, I haven't seen with my own eyes. So, again it doesn't depend on the cancer BUT the time that the patient has left to give it time to work. You don't have to believe me but I've seen it too many times to deny it works.

[sharedvalues]

72. CTCA is for-profit.

I respect your personal experience and I am so glad that you have recovered. I wish the cancer victims in my family had done as well.

But be careful with CTCA. They are for-profit. So they advertise more than most hospitals.

https://www.statnews.com/2016/07/11/for-profit-cancer-centers-advertising/

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

76. Yeah, NO KIDDING! At the time I went, they weren't as grubby & sleazy

as they are now.. The metamorphosis began 6 mos after I began treatment. My husband was alarmed when soon after I was diagnosed, ( I was SO debilitated & a literal skeleton, at the time), UCD clinicians announced that they wanted to begin an intense regimen of HIGH DOSE chemo, (7AM) followed by HIGH DOSE radiation, (1PM), 5 days a week. I would have NEVER survived that. That's why I was taken to CTCA. When I began treatment there, it was owned by a different group of folks than the ones that own them now, TEA PARTY MANIACS.

I have to be grateful for the oncological radiologist, (Dr Chong), who stop the uncontrolled bleeding and shrunk the huge tumour I had, as well as my oncologist, Dr Vivek Khemka, who was responsible for getting me back to a place where I wasn't actively dying anymore, (but was SHOCKED by the fact that the scans showed that that cancer wasn't progressing, in spite of the history, telling me to keep doing what I was doing because he couldn't understand why I wasn't moribund)

If I had to do it all over again, I would have NEVER take chemotherapy because it's left me with SERIOUS & permanent neuropathy.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

44. WTF? i WAS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 4B SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA, IDIOT!

Last edited Thu Jul 20, 2017, 06:30 PM - Edit history (1)

I would NOT say something that I did not have FIRsT HAND KNOWLEDGE OF! I fucking know researchers in other countries, as well as people HERE IN THE US WHO ARE QUIETLY researching due to brainwashed folks like you... As a part of this journey, ( since 2011), I have gained dozens of friends who have had to take this journey, many, unfortunately have left this planet. You neither know m
e, NOR do you have ANY MOTHERFUCKING idea of what I know or seen with my own eyes... I was not expected to survive the night, leave the hospital NOR survive past March 2011, due to my metastatic cancer that was complicated by widespread visceral GANGRENE ! I've undergone 6 weeks of DAILY radiotherapy, 6 rounds of chemo, (taxol & Carboplatin, that was ended early due to the severe neuropathy-I wasn't expected to survive anyway). Found out that it was palliative & was in HOME HOSPICE..So DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME that I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about!!!!! I had to talked into using Cannabis by my husband or 2 YEARS, this is NOT a Stoner talking about this...I KNOW what I'm taking about..

&t=22s

PEOPLE WHO'VE SURVIVED GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME DUE TO CANNABIS OIL, MORON

&t=10s

&t=1s

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES, (mostly in other countries)
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/07/25/cannabis-cannabinoids-and-cancer-the-evidence-so-far/
http://sorendreier.com/spain-study-confirms-cannabis-oil-cures-cancer/
https://www.medicaljane.com/2013/12/18/studies-suggest-cannabinoids-may-kill-human-cancer-cells/
http://www.cureyourowncancer.org/cannabis-can-cure-many-forms-of-cancer.html
http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/09/42-medical-studies-that-prove-cannabis-can-cure-cancer.html
http://420insight.com/research/medical-studies-show-cannabis-can-treat-cancer/
http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/ww_en_db_study_show.php?s_id=321

ET CETERA,ET CETERA, ET CETERA....
Don't you EVER, FUCKING EVER tell me, that I don't know what I'm talking about.. EVER!! Feel free to NEVER talk to me again. POLITICS is why researchers here in the GOOD OLE USA cannot openly admit & TELL the public the truth about the role of CANNABINOIDS in human health... smdh

[tallahasseedem]

51. Please don't spam posts with videos.

Please refer to DU's TOS.

Thank you.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

52. It isn't spam, Tallahassee but proof of what I was saying as I was

basically called a liar and I AM NOT a liar nor am I someone that is saying something that is based in stoner factoids...

[CanSocDem]

60. Thank you for all of these...

You've done the research and your attitude kicks ass. That will make you healthy.

This video about the effects of "nocebo" help explain why you encounter so much resistance.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

62. Yes, I know that it's brainwashing that people accept without question...

If people ONLY knew that you do NOT have to pay, ( in my case & I was only give a 30%, due to the visceral gangrene), 35K per dose of Taxol & 28K per dose of Carboplatin which in MANY cases results in peripheral neuropathy, (in my SIL case, she looked like she'd had a stroke because her face was drawn to one side). I have told my husband that if I'd known then what I know now, I would have agreed to the radiotherapy BUT I would have rejected the chemo. I KNOW what cannabis oil has done for me and people I have seen PERSONALLY.

[atreides1]

28. It depends on the patient!

Survival rates and life expectancy
The median survival time with glioblastoma is 15 to 16 months in people who get surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment. Median means half of all patients with this tumor survive to this length of time.

Everyone with glioblastoma is different. Some people don’t survive as long. Other people may survive up to five years or more, although it’s rare.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

65. Atreides, Please allow me to respectfully disagree as I have seen with MY OWN

eyes and have heard Oncologists encourage people privately to continue to use the cannabis oil. It DOES NOT depend on the patient using cannabis oil or RSO to kill the cancer. What determines successful outcomes is the time that any particular patient has left for the Cannabinoids to work, although there have been more than a few cases where the patient was moribund and no more than a week from death. I treated @ CTCA in Goodyear and KNOW what I'm talking about. I've seen TOOO much to doubt that it works. I would recommend Cannabis oil regimen for ANYONE staring down cancer.

So, while I respect your opinion, I have to humbly and respectfully disagree

[janx]

59. Let me be brief.

Most of the people on this board agree with you regarding the benefits and potential of medical cannabis.

But that wasn't the subject of the original post.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

61. Thank you, Janx. However, I was only making an observation that Sen. McCain

DOES NOT have to the HORRIFIC treatment regimen and DOES NOT have to die. Was NOT hijacking the thread. I only repsonded in the way I did because I was accused of NOT knowing what I was talking about and could never understand. HELL, I AM a cancer patient with metastatic cancer who not only survived but am getting CURED from something only 8% survive more than 3 years..

[DanTex]

3. I agree.

I had an uncle die of cancer earlier this year. He was as tough (and kind) a person as you could find. I know people mean well when they say that. But surviving cancer isn't a matter of toughness. It's a matter of treatment, and what kind of cancer it is, and how early it's found, and a lot of factors including luck.

[ReformedGOPer]

26. Thank you. My cancer has come back 3 times over 5 years.

Its not a matter of how tough you are.

[RobinA]

4. I'm Going To Agree

wholeheartedly. I hate this whole "battle with cancer" thing. Some people survive and some people don't, depending on many things including your own immune system which there's not whole hell of a lot you can do about (despite what the purveyors of woo say). My friend's husband died of cancer after a long struggle. He did what his Drs said, kept in good spirits, but died anyway. My father had a rather large tumor which was removed and cancer was never heard from again. Neither one of them were more meritorious than the other. I hate this whole toughness, morality play that cancer has turned into. Who gets it, who survives it...generally a crap shoot with a few obvious environmental factors thrown in.

[Tracer]

18. I never "battled" cancer, and I hate that term.

I just did what the doctors said to do.

When they said "we need to operate", I had the operation.

When they said "you will need chemo", I had the chemo.

When they said "you need a shot of Neulasta", I paid the $3,000 for it.

No battling at all, just a good dose of realism.

[mythology]

31. I would argue that is fighting it

When my grandmother's cancer recurred she chose to not undergo treatment again. She wasn't willing to endure the chemo etc a second time. The doctor told her she had six months and she decided that was better for her than the impact of chemo. Granted the doctor told her she had six months to live for 3 or 4 years, so what did he know.

[Chemisse]

53. I hate that so much! And it is everywhere.

When people die of cancer, they always say they 'lost their battle'. Dubbed a 'loser' essentially. That is just so wrong to impose this meme on people who are dealing with this awful disease.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. My concern for McCain as a fellow child of God overrides at the moment my contempt for his positions

I will think of the noble McCain who defended Barack Obama from charges he's a crypto- Muslim and when he forbid Sarah Palin from making race based attacks on him.

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

8. God bless you, DemocratSinceBirth...That's they way we're

SUPPOSED to be. If only the world was full of more people like you...it would DEFINITELY be a better place.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. There's a time for everything and now is not the time to lambaste McCain.

Did you see Game Changer ? McCain comes off as a sympathetic, almost a noble figure.

[Docreed2003]

12. My thoughts exactly!

[hamsterjill]

33. I agree. When we forget that is when we actually become "them".

I've seen many posts over the last several months about someone being offended by language, etc. with the notation that "we don't want to become like them".

In my opinion, it's never language, but rather intent. I wish McCain well, and as you stated, now is not the time to enumerate his infractions. Now is the time to celebrate the good.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

34. I just posted this.

There's plenty of healthy Republicants we can lambaste. I'm not going to dump on somebody battling brain cancer.

[lunamagica]

56. +1 Great post, DSB

[MoonRiver]

7. Cancer is a cell mutation. Mutations don't care how "tough" somebody is.

I resent this description too. It seems to put the blame on the patient, for not being tough enough. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[lilymidnite]

35. Plus blaming the patient for lifestyle 'choices' that led to their cancers

Most everyone is touched by cancer in some way. My mom died from a particularly aggressive sarcoma.
My brother is currently being treated for melanoma. Both are (were) 'tough' -- But, what does that
mean anyway?

I get angry when people (mostly anti-healthcare-is-a-right people) accuse people of bringing on their
cancers. Neither one of them smoked, drank alcohol or sunbathed.

I disagree with McCain on just about everything, but I wish him well in his treatment.

[Phentex]

42. ...

[smirkymonkey]

63. I don't like it either. Cancer patients and their families have enough grief to deal with. They

don't need any moralistic judgments from people who put the onus for their own recovery back on them. Sometimes, it is just a matter of genetics, quality of treatment and plain old luck. It has nothing to do with how "tough" a patient is.

[Raven]

9. I posted before that my oldest friend has this

form of cancer. This disease is lethal and it has nothing to do with toughness as you have pointed out. What is does have to do with is the way and individual copes with their imminent mortality. When a person gets a diagnosis like this the docs don't sugarcoat it. My friend was told she had 6 to 12 months. She had radiation soon after the initial surgery and the tumor was back within a month. She was given the option of more treatment and refused. She is home with 24/7 care. She is fortunate to have the insurance and financial resources for that. She is fading and waiting to die. She has been through all the stages of dying and has handled it gracefully. I don't think that anyone knows how they will handle their last stage of life. I admire my friend for her grace and hope I can be the same when the time comes. For all his warts, John McCain has served his country since Vietnam with dedication. I suspect that he will face his last stage with the same fortitude that he showed as a POW. This disease is, after all, the ultimate imprisonment.

[MoonRiver]

14. Praying your friend has a peaceful journey...

[Le Gaucher]

15. Exactly .. The sentiment expressed by obama doesnt mean that cancer

Can be defeated by the mind.. But rather refers to how cancer defeats the mind.

My grandfather succumbed to prostrate cancer in his 90s.. But apart from the very last days ..he never lost the fire in his belly for living.. He still was the lion in the room ..and no one could mess with him.

[rock]

13. Yeah

It's a failed metaphor. Many people do not recognize it as a metaphor, let alone a failure.

[mindfulNJ]

16. Thank you.

This always bothers me...it's as if the people who die of this insidious disease just didn't fight hard enough or something.

It's the luck of the draw of the gene pool more than anything else.

[SHRED]

17. I hate it

The implication is that if cancer kills you then you must have been weak.

[mountain grammy]

20. Thank you.. very well said!

Not a single thing there I disagree with!

[sinkingfeeling]

21. As an 8+ year survivor of Stage IV cancer, I disagree. I truly believe

that in addition to having great treatments, a person's mental and spiritual states play a definite part in surviving.

One might call it 'toughness, but it takes a concentrated effort to overcome everything the cancer and the treatments throw at you.

[nolabear]

25. Congratulations!

[BannonsLiver]

29. Thanks for posting, your opinion is the most relevant here

Why? Because you've been through it! Way too many self proclaimed medical geniuses on DU the last 24 hours.

[GallopingGhost]

41. Thank you!

We always told my mother she was tough, because she was. The term is referring to how someone copes with, as you say, everything that is thrown at you.

God forbid I ever come down with the type of cancer that took her, I only hope I handle it with the dignity, strength and bravery she did. Miss you every day, Mom.

Glad you are doing well!

[The_REAL_Ecumenist]

46. congratulations, SinkingFeeling, I am a 6 year survivor of Stage 4B cancer ...

I have to agree. I can't count the number of times when I was told by oncologists & other mdical professionals during my journey that they would be shocked if cancer won because former patients they had treated who had the mindset like I had DID NOT DIE from cancer. Having said that, I do NOT think that people who lose their battle are week. There are too many thing that science does not know that are linked into the bodies response to cancer & other Deadly illnesses. The best thing that we can do is to send healing thoughts & prayers, (for those who believe).

[TexasBushwhacker]

58. Was your cancer glioblastoma?

With treatment, average survival is about a year. Without treatment, usually less than 3 months.

[Ms. Toad]

69. Interesting - I don't call it toughness,

but my doctors were able to accurately predict - based on mental and spiritual state, rather than physical - how I would tolerate radiation.

So I agree that mental and spiritual state play a role - but "toughness" doesn't sit right with me, nor does assuming that long term survival is winning or that an earlier death is losing.

[PatSeg]

23. Thank you for this

Saying someone fighting cancer is "tough" implies those who don't survive are weak or unworthy.

I wish him well healthwise, but I won't paint a picture of him that is not true. I hope he survives and maybe he'll even realize how many people face such diseases without the premium healthcare that he receives.

[Staph]

24. Agreed!

And speaking as a cancer survivor, I hate when those of us who have cancer are referred to as "heroes". There's nothing heroic about it. Your survival has nothing to do with your "bravery". It's good medical care combined with luck of the draw.

[Chemisse]

57. I am under treatment for cancer at this time.

And I was recently embarrassed when a medical worker called me a 'warrior'.

There are many things I have done in my life that could earn me that title, many accomplishments of which I am very proud. Having breast cancer and going through the hoops to buy me more time on this earth is not one of them.

Sure it's hard to go through it all, but it's harder to face dying before I am ready. So it is hardly remarkable bravery.

I am not in a battle against the mutant cells in my body. I am suffering from their existence and hoping the treatment works.

If they return after all this, I will likely let nature take its course with the best quality of life possible. And nobody had better say I lost my battle!

[lindysalsagal]

27. Watching my mother fighting right now

and I seriously believe the hell she's been through is not worth it. She should have just stayed home and skipped the medical interventions, and used the time to end her life her own way, rather than in misery and delirium. It's just putting off the inevitable.

[MiniMe]

38. Thought for you mother

My mom went through colon cancer about 5 years ago. She did what the docs told her to do, had surgery, then chemo. Was OK for about a month after the chemo ended, then it came back with a vengeance. Mom refused another round of chemo, and I supported her decision. It was totally up to her. The only thing I was glad about is that it was quick at the end. It came back in the middle of October 2013, and she passed away at the beginning of November 2013. I can't say enough good things about hospice during that time.

[lindysalsagal]

43. Exactly. THAT's what takes guts and toughness: Refusing care. Good for her.

Live life on your own terms, not by the endless list of hospital protocals that they use to keep from being sued. I hope my Mom arrives at that understanding sooner, rather than later. I hate to see her suffer.

[cwydro]

48. I wish my mother had not chosen chemo.

I'm convinced she would have lived longer.

Still very sad.

[Iwasthere]

71. Chemo cause C

I feel for you. It is now proven fact that a large % of doctors and onchologists would NOT choose Chemo if diagnosed. They kbow, without a doubt that it comprimised immune system and even kills. Medical MJ... its the ONLY way. Read the first lonnnggg thread everybody, with an open mind.

[flamingdem]

30. I think it's okay Obama said this

because it really means "I care that you survive and I think you are strong".

Let's face it McCain was a dick to Obama. So anything Obama says is okay

[mchill]

32. Not all cancers created equal

Maybe in the last stages to death, they are, but this one is grueling and sad start to finish. That's my opinion, of course.

[B2G]

36. Sometimes the most courageous thing to do

is to know when to stop fighting.

[TNNurse]

37. OK, breast cancer survivor here.

I was not brave, I was not tough. I took the treatment recommended and I survived. It was not the kind of situation which gives little hope.

Glioblastoma is much bigger than what I had. The treatment is not as physically harsh, the pills do not give the side effects that other chemos do. But the effects of a brain tumor are much more debilitating. There are 20 year or more breast cancer survivors, pretty sure no one lives that long after this kind of tumor.

I have a life long side effect in lymphedema in my arm. I do therapy for it, I have weight limits on lifting and I have issues buying clothes because one arm is a little larger than the other. But my brain is pretty much intact and I expect to live a normal life span.

I would not wish cancer on anyone no matter how much I dislike or disagree with them.

[tallahasseedem]

39. As someone who works with cancer patients everyday...

sometimes those words are used to help with not only the patient, but the family's (and friends) spirits and ability to cope with such a diagnosis.

It really isn't an issue.

[Glimmer of Hope]

54. I am an ovarian cancer survivor and I like to think that I am a bad ass mother fucker.

A little empowerment certainly doesn't hurt.

[Warpy]

55. I hate the whole war vocabulary used on that disease

You know, "battling" cancer, "winning the fight against the disease" and all the other nonsense. What the fuck? We don't battle the flu or win the fight against against a case of hives, we treat them to reduce the symptoms and sometimes cure it outright.

It's a disease, people, and militarizing the rhetoric won't do any good. It's going to kick your ass, hard. Some varieties will most likely kill you. It has nothing to do with how tough you are.

[RhodeIslandOne]

66. Those are things people say to make themselves feel better

The way people talk about cancer is so odd.

Cancer isn't a single entity or object or a sentient being. It's just a mutation of our own body's cells into something unhealthy and causing illness. Sometimes it simply can't be prevented or stopped, especially anything deep inside the intestine, pancreatic, etc. I find the way people go about addressing it like it's an animal or an escaped killer or a terrorist to be so weird. And yes, I've had numerous relatives die from it. Some fast, some slow. I've also had family die of massive strokes, but I rarely hear anyone say "Fuck strokes" or whatever like they do with cancer.

Don't mean to offend anyone, I just find the whole thing strange.

[VOX]

68. There are many ways to be "tough."

As a cancer survivor myself, I researched the hell out of the disease, rather than looking away and remaining uninformed. I spoke with several fellow-patients/survivors to learn from them and their experiences.

Being prepared, well informed, and acting as a willing participant in your own treatment isn't for the faint-of-heart. It takes a kind of detached, realistic patience (or "toughness," even) to know what you're up against, what you're likely to experience during treatment without shying away.

Numerous medical studies indicate that a well-informed, well-prepared cancer patient has significantly increased chances of a more satisfactory outcome. For one thing, there are no surprises!

[Ms. Toad]

70. While we're on the subject of language,

I hate the term survivor - although I'm not sure I can articulate why.

I think it has to do with being invested in coming out alive at any cost (on one end of the spectrum). Having watched my grandmother live with metastatic breast cancer and emphysema for more than 2 decades, wistfully wishing with the death of every other physically vital relative that it had been her, I know that I would prefer fewer quality years than more miserable ones.

At the other end of the spectrum, I was artificially declared a survivor at the moment of diagnosis. So cancer is gone? Really? Before I've even had surgery? If not immediately, though, at what stage in the spectrum of treatment do I become a survivor (i.e. is cancer in my past) - diagnosis? surgery? radiation? chemotherapy (for me 10 years on aromatase inhibitors)? What about the sarcoma risk I bought into when I agreed to radiation therapy - that grows (rather than decreases) over time? Declaring myself a survivlor at some arbitrary point means that if cancer rears its ugly head again, I will have failed, lost the battle, etc. - or whatever relevant term of defeat seems appropriate.

I have cancer. I will have cancer the rest of my life. Present tense. I've run across a term that fits more comfortably for me than survivor - NED: no evidence of disease. I hope it will stay that way - I hope it will stay that way for a long time. But the reality is that I'm the 5th breast cancer if 4 generations, with other reproductive cancers thrown in the mix. Chances are, I will not be NED for the rest of my life. And ultimately, I have to be OK with that. That is easier if I treat cancer as a part of my life, rather than something I'm constantly terrified will return.

[ReformedGOPer]

75. This is exactly how I feel. I never tell people I'm cured. Instead, I say "I'm clear for now" I've

accepted the fact that someday it will probably kill me. It's just a matter of when. Hopefully I stave it off for many more years. My cancer has come back 3 times, and its smaller each time. But I'm under no illusions. Barring any accidents, I accept that it is my death sentence. It's just a matter of time.