A Time For Us

Just after I published yesterday's post, I received an email from a reader and she wrote "... really respect your positive attitude. Wish my mom have a positive attitude like you. Her cancer recurred and dr says cant do another radiation. 2 choice either leave it then will be a year or two but she will have lots of phelgm. Or surgery but her age afraid she cant take it..." I can't stress enough that what the doctor's recommendation is only what they have learned. They have no reason to look further because they will be afraid that if they recommend any other treatment and the patient dies, they not only lose their medical license but also sued by the next of kin of the patients. I have been told there is nothing the doctors can do for me anymore. I was just like many of the other cancer patients, scared to hell, don't know what to do and of course crying myself out. When the tears stop, when the reality comes back, I realised that I still have to continue to live even if it meant a short six months. I can just surrender to my fate or do something in the hope that my health would take a better turn.

Let me share with you an uplifting story from a reader from Hong Kong and she wrote:

... my brother-in-law had B cell lymphoma 3 years ago. He was rather advanced when diagnosed. He refused all conventional treatment and went online to search for alternative treatment. He has tried a lot of things but his cancer continued to progress. It's around 1 year later he had lymph nodes all over his body, especially around his neck and he could barely talk. He had lost 1/4 of his weight, his eyes were protruding out and finally he could hardly swallow and breathe and we all thought he was dying. Then he gave in and started the chemotherapy. Only after one does the lymph nodes around his neck began to subside. After 8 courses his lymphoma all cleared up.

I am not asking you to take conventional chemo as I know kidney cancer doesn't respond much to it. What I want to say is, no matter how far and wide your cancer has spread, you just need one right treatment then it can turn your illness around (emphasis my own). 

Selecting the right therapy is certainly not going to be easy. But if you give up, what happens to your love ones? I am a little lucky because I am a bit younger and also a technical person. But still I am no doctor. I also struggle to understand many of the materials, often referring to the medical dictionary to help me understand what's going on. I have not found the "one right therapy" yet but I am not giving up. I experienced physical and emotional pain just like any other cancer patient. Still I prefer to wipe away my tears, confront and come to terms with my medical condition. Continue to search (with the help of so many readers out there). Feel sad once in a while, cry if you must but please don't give up! Seek and you will find.