My stepdad Ken Rodgers passed away on this day 27 years ago. In February of that year hed been diagnosed with colon cancer. Hed had surgery to remove the polyps and also some lymph nodes, and he also had received radiation treatments which necessitated my mother driving him to the hospital two hours away, four days a week. He had received only one chemo treatment because there really wasnt much in the way of effective chemo in those days. The cancer spread to his lungs and liver in the coming months, resulting in his passing six months after his diagnosis. Fast forward to 2014, when my own husband Doug Sparrow had received his diagnosis of cancer in February of this year. It was rectal cancer that had invaded the areas around it, and also spread to the liver and lungs. I was certain that by his birthday in July, hed be in hospice care. But no! Thanks to the amazing advancements of science and medicine, there IS an effective chemo treatment for his type of cancer now (adenocarcinoma), and his cancer levels in his blood keep dropping with every treatment. Hes energetic and healthy (besides that pesky cancer), eating and drinking well and possessing his usual strength and fortitude. The doctors have even said theyve seen great results with this type of chemo, with patients living for years longer than expected. There is no actual cure, but they can buy you a whole lot more quality time than people had in the past. When we were at the chemo oncologists office yesterday, I told her this story and thanked her for the work that she and her associates do for people. I told her that her efforts give people a priceless gift, more time with their loved ones. I dont know if people who work in this industry really understand what it is they do for people. She got all teary-eyed. :D I hope she keeps it in mind during those hard days. So I want to take today to thank everybody who has ever had anything to do with the care and healing of sick people. Thank you to the researchers who have worked tirelessly, hitting one roadblock after the next in their efforts to rid this world of this stealthy killer. Thank you to the doctors and nurses, pharmacists and drug companies who are on the front lines and behind the scenes. Thank you to the family members and the friends who do everything they can to support people who are enduring this suffering, and who also support the support people! And thank you to all of you, the people who have never even met us, who keep your online friends and their families in your prayers and thoughts, who send messages of encouragement, who take the time to put unknown people on your church prayer lists and who care about people youve never met. This common thread of humanity really is a gift and Im grateful for it.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 14:30:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015