Has cancer affected your life? Have you or anyone in your family been diagnosed?
By Bijou1
@Bijou1 (160)
Australia
April 23, 2008 4:22pm CST
Do you know anyone that has had or do you have cancer? My husband had cancer 2 years ago and i still dont think anyone in my family is over it.
I thought that once he was in remission, that our life would be back to normal. Wrong. He is still on anti depressants, i am in counselling and our son is the most needy child i know.
What has it been like for you?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
23 Apr 08
10 years ago this summer My baby sister who at the time was 9 months old (I was 15) was diagnosed with cancer. It was a very hard 4 months on my family, with my mom spending the entire time in the city with my baby sister and only getting to see them both on weekends.
Since then My dad has been much closer to us...almost losing one of his daughters hit him hard. My mom was stressed and she bottles things up more. My sister has had to go for yearly tests and Actually this past month was tested as positive for cancer again after 10 years in remission.
She hasnt been told yet as more tests arent for another couple weeks. My moms scared of her reaction...just having to go for tests sends her into a panic.
Everyone elses reactions to the news was tears. I'm scared for my mom and my sister if it really is active again.
Her last bout with cancer left her with a fear of doctors and nurses and anyone wearing a white jacket/top. She also gets nasty headaches as a result of the main nerves to her left side of her body being cut. (another affect of that is she has less control of her left hand....and she cant tell hot from cold with that hand. She has one blue and one grey eye)
@Bijou1 (160)
• Australia
24 Apr 08
oh, that is horrible. I feel so bad for your whole family. It has reminded me of all the emotions and feelings that i felt when we were going through it. Like your family, mine was split up when my hubby had to move to the big city hospital. At first we could only go visit him on the weekends. It was so horrible being that far apart and knowing what he was going through by himself in a big hospiatl.
It sounds like the cancer had a really big impact on your sister. Poor thing. It must be so hard dealing with all that st such a young age. Has she been to any cancer support groups for children? My son went, just to help him deal with what happened to his dad, and it really helped a lot.
I hope that your sister is okay and things work out well for your family. Keep positive.
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
24 Apr 08
I dont think shes gone to support groups. She handles it very well. My mom doesnt she shuts down. I know just thinking about it makes me cry..typing about it was getting pretty hard to see. Cancer makes a very big hard impact on everyone whos life it touches...even if you arent the one that had it. I'd never wish it or the treatments on anyone.
I think a big part of my sister handling her cancer and the way shes different from everyone else now with her eyes and and is made easier in part by the class shes in in school. Its not a special ed class but theres so many "different" kids in the class that They cant just single one out for being different from everyone else.
Theres a couple with down's syndrome and a couple who were in fairly major accidents so have scarring...a set of twins, some older ones that were held back. a couple kids that are either raised by grandparents or foster parents. It's a class of a buncha smart kids though and they sure go to bat for the others when someone from another grade picks on them
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
24 Apr 08
Cancer has always been my most feared thing ever. I saw on our local news channel just this morning that the blood in the embillical cord cured a womans cancer. When i was 16 my grandfather was cleaning up the garage. When he bent over to pick something up he got stuck in that position. My sister came in and laid him on the ground called the ambulance. They checked him in the hospital and found so much cancer they didnt even know where it started. My grandfather was the type that never went to the doctor. He passed away 6 mo. later. Laying in bed the entire time. All the women in my family have had hysterectomys because of cancer. I myself had non cancerous tumors on my overies. my daughter had a bad pap smear. She is only 25. My sister and 1 aunt had to have their cells froze after bad pap smears.I have been in fear of this dreaded cancer since that happen to my grandfather. It's so important to get checked often and catch it early.
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
24 Apr 08
My grandmother and my aunt both had bre@st cancer they both went through having a mastectomy my aunt just had the surgery a yera ago and is now taking a pill everyday and seeing an oncologist every 3 months to make sure the cancer didn't spread.
