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| Click here to go to my fundraiser page. |
The evening of 26 August 2021, an oncologist whom I was to see the next morning called me at home to tell me that in his professional opinion and based on CT scans and an MRI, he believed I had Stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to my liver and lymph nodes.
He wanted me to do three months of chemotherapy, then surgery to remove part of my liver and colon.
And I would still probably die.
Thankfully, all of the subsequent biopsies and tests came back negative for cancer. I didn't have the chemo. I didn't have any surgeries. And I clearly didn't die.
But it wasn't until 7 October 2021 that I knew for certain that there was no cancer. For nearly two months I was making end of life plans. Calling old friends. Asking for prayers. Saying goodbyes. Making arrangements for someone to take my fur-kids when I was gone.
It was terrifying and depressing. When it all was over, I reamed the oncologist's head nurse and told her that while I'm sure the doctor I saw was very well educated, he should never, ever speak death over someone like that without having the biopsies to back up his words. I told her that a phone call like that might put someone less determined to annoy their little brother for the rest of his life over the edge and cause them to make an irreversible decision.
Everything that I experienced that year, and with that specific phone call, cannot even compare to what someone who actually has an accurate diagnosis must experience. Not only them, but their family and friends.
The American Cancer Society has been dedicated for decades to helping patients and their loved ones as they walk that path from illness, to diagnosis, to treatment, and hopefully to cure or remission.
To support their efforts, I have signed up for [link to click>] a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, and this will be my writing platform. I'm posting this today because there will be some other exciting things happening in a few days, and my postings may be done late in the night. BUT there will be posts! So please watch here for them, and if you feel so inclined to contribute to a wonderful organization, please do so.
Kudos to you for raising money for this important cause. Our Cancer Council gets a monthly donation from me. Cancer claimed my father and too many other people I have loved - and the treatment is nearly as cruel as the disease.
ReplyDeleteIt is. I had decided that if all the tests and biopsies showed that he was correct, I was NOT going to have the chemo or surgery. I wanted quality, not quantity, and had decided that if I only had a few months left, they were not going to be hunched over a toilet.
DeleteNext Monday is the 1st, and so payday, and so i will be back to follow the link.
ReplyDeleteYou were so right, the doctor had no business telling you that without the test results.