Like Mother - 13

2009 is over. But the year will live on in my medical history. Whenever I see a doctor from this time forward, I’ll have to indicate that in 2009 I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

The big “C” always comes as a shock to people. It’s such a scary word. I can remember really being afraid of that word. Whenever I would meet someone with cancer, either personally or in my profession, I could only but admire their strength, determination, and most of all, acceptance. Acceptance is the most difficult part. But again, that applies to so many things in life. Once we’ve tackled that, the rest seems to follow in a very natural course.

Welcome 2010! I was surrounded by my favorite folks last night as the new year very quietly rolled in. My husband, children and grandson were with me. They prepared a virtual feast. Unfortunately, I could only tolerate a bit of it, so hopefully the leftovers will be around for a few more days. The guys played Risk in the dining room, and the ladies lounged on the sectional sofa and watched movies. Marrin and I drew pictures together and snuggled. Everyone was happy, healthy, and safe. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect New Year celebration.

I’m still working on those resolutions.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Like Mother - 53

Cancer has struck  our family again…in a big way.   One week after the burial of my mother on February 23, 2016 for non-cancer related issues, my brother-in-law, Richard, was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia).   Since March 6 th , he had been an inpatient at University of Maryland Hospital.   As our family typically does, we all came together to support my sister, Anna Marie.   We made daily trips to the hospital.   Most of the time we were full of hope, but eventually we felt more like wounded soldiers marching into a losing battle.   Richard suffered one unfortunate circumstance after another with both happy and sad outcomes.   The happy outcome is that the first round of chemo was successful in eradicating his leukemia cells.   The sad news is that all too often the same drugs that cure you can also, indirectly, kill you.   As a result of Richard’s extremely depleted blood cells and extremely compromised immune system f...
Read more

Like Daughter - 54

Honestly, I don't even know what to say.  As you probably read in my mother's post from yesterday, my uncle Richard passed away yesterday morning from complications post-treatment for AML.  My mother said pretty much everything there was to say, but I think there's a little more. Uncle Richard, I have one more story for you. Uncle Richard was a funny man. He was downright weird at times, but the best kind of weird there is. He was never seen without a smile. Uncle Richard had this way about him - even in his lovely tennis shorts in December (mind you, we're in Baltimore) - to brighten the room around him.  I'll never forget the smell of his pipe (I hate smoking, but his pipe always smelled so good), the smile on his face, and the songs he used to sing, again in those tennis shorts. He would just break out into song. When us cousins were kids, we were always captivated by his humor. The one song that immediately comes to mind is, "The Littlest Worm....
Read more

Special Entry: Good Housekeeping Article Response

If you are an avid member of the thyroid disease/cancer community, then you most likely already know the controversy and outrage that surrounds this article, written by Susan Carlton and published by Good Housekeeping. If not, this article and all comments and concerns about it still apply to you. Why? It’s as simple as this: knowledge is power. Knowledge of the diseases and cancers that are out there, and knowledge about what information is accurate, and what information is dangerous. Below is my take on certain portions of the article. Admittedly, I am no expert. Some of the information that Ms. Carlton presents is without documented sources. Therefore, I can neither credit nor discredit her claims. However, since I currently (some formerly) endure four different types of thyroid diseases, I am able to use my 5 years of acquired experience and knowledge to refute several points made by Ms. Carlton and Good Housekeeping. Questions, comments, complaints, and commendations are not only...
Read more