Secondary cancer? What can that be??

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I was puzzeled too where I heard this term for the first time. It was the mid April, shortly after our dearest mothers 72nd birthday, as she had another appointment with her care for the elderly doctor at Newham General Hospital. Here my mother got told although good news he was still concerned about her health, the tests and x-ray weren't showing anything much at all except for an insignificant small light shaddow on the lung. this could be caused by the flu which she had a week or two back, which might also explain her aching bones. He would though like to send her for an appointment to a good colleauge of his who works at Saint Bartholomews Hospital just to give her another special x-ray and a thorough check up. Mums smiled and said yes of course if you think it's best and he said yes. So the appointment was made, my mother was informed that she might have to stay overnight as there were a few tests to be done after that and she would then be discharged the next day. Seeing as she was to be admitted for an overnight stay she deceided to treat herself to all the nice things, a new set of pyjamas, in pink her favourite colour, a long list of sweet smelling stuff shower gel, body cream, deo, perfume, flanells, towels, dressing gown. She was enjoying every minute of her shopping spree bless her and I was left carrying as per usual all the bags. But shopping was so much fun with her. It was the tenth day in May and I will never forget it. I've got into the house early to help her get ready. Yes you've guessed todays the day of her appointment at Saint Bartholomews Hospital, they've been so kind as to arrange transport to come and pick her up. So here we are sitting in the front room attentively waiting for an ambulance you should have seen how astonished we were as a cab pulled up outside the door saying they came to pick mum up. A smile came to her face and she said I'm going to travel in style, at that moment I had to smile too. I took the train and met them at the hospital they turned up 10mins after me. As she got out of the cab I knew without a doubt her body was in pain after the long drive. The driver went swiftly and got a wheelchair and pushed her into the waiting area. Here the hospital porter picked her up and transported us to the department where mums dear was having her x-ray done. They checked the letter we had received from them as confirmation of the appointment. We then waited patiently till a nurse came to collect her, showing us the changing room and a garment she was supposed to wear for the x-ray. After I had helped her get changed. The nurse returned and accompanied her to the room where the x-ray was taken. I laughed and wished her a good journey through the tunnel, she smiled at me as she went through. Mums returned safe and sound after about 20-25mins a bit tired but otherwise ok saying I'll tell you about it later, I smiled to acknowledge, hearing noises of feet coming down the corridor. It was the doctor and the students who had been in the observation room. Leaving the students for one moment, he came over to my mother and myself, introducing himself, asking mums permission if it would be ok for the students to write a diagnosis as to what they would see on the x-ray my mother said yes and he was quite happy as was she at the same time to help others where she could. She then asked the doctor when he would have the results from her x-ray, he explained he would be up in the ward where she would be for an evening round at about 4p.m. but would come to pay us a visit as last because he would also like to check her medicament to see what she was taking. In the meantime our porter was there to bring mum up to the ward. I got her settled in and true to his word the doctor arrived at about 4ish on the ward to do his visiting with the patients. Slowly but surely he made his way round to my mother dearests bed, smiling at her but still with a concerned look on his face, asked how she was feeling and if she was comfortable, then started looking through her medicine, explaing why he was changing some and ordering different ones for her listening to what she had to say, then explaing to her, that due to the secondary cancer that they had found, her stay might be just a little prolonged until they found the cancer itself which caused this. If there may be a solution, they could find to help her. Now I asked my self as you might be what is this secondary cancer. For me This is the monster called living death. Theese metastasen explode from the cancer itself, spread throughout the body and grow. They grew onmass. They found them in her whole system. In her kidneys, in her liver, in her blood, so also partially in her brain, growing through her spine and hip crushing her bones which caused alsso the parkinsons gate effect and yes you guessed the main core was the lung. 4 months later the 21st day of september 2006 my dearest mother passed away. God bless and keep her. It is with admiration and pride that I and my sister speak of her as does any other member of our familly. The courage and strength she showed us through this battle she fought was admirable but also the pure stuborness of the fact that she would never let anything get the better of her.Both my sister and I take great pride in saying she is our mother and always will be. God bless you mum. Are there people you admire? If so why? Are there people you know who have also been hit by grief how do they get over it? I will be writing another article about my mother over the days she spent fighting this demon and all the people whom I owe many thanks to and played a memorable part in Elizabeths song which will be the title of the article. If this article has helped but one person or caused one person even to spend five minutes thought then I know my mother Elizabeth will thank you.