Losing the battle? NAY!!!

[trbig]

This is a touchy subject and am not meaning any offense to anyone whatsoever. What, and HOW you remember is your own personal choice, but I was listening to a comedian the other day (Don't know who it was) and he talked about people passing away from cancer and we say they "Lost their battle"... Like the final thing they did was lose. He went on to say that at the precise moment they die, so does the cancer, so isn't it at minimum a draw? I know he was saying these things to be funny, but after a bit of thought on this and losing several loved ones myself, I like to think it would be better to remember them kicking cancer's butt, but it took them sacrificing themselves, like a war hero, to do it. Cancer, by odds, will touch everyone here's lives at some point, So......

Here's a toast to all those that have kicked cancer's butt and survived or are currently fighting, as well as a posthumous toast to those who have beat it, yet valiantly didn't survive the winning battle. Prayers to all that this has touched, and Merry Christmas everyone.

[MaximPhil]

Thanks Tod,
I like your point of view. Certainly has changed how I will think in the future. Merry Christmas to you.
Phil

[DGXSER]

The concept rings through to me Tod. Having lost a great friend at a young age to the disease, as well as my father at a youngish 64, the concept does hit home for me as well. Kick its azz, kick it twice for me dang it!!

My friend spent 11 years fighting it, and he always told me for him, his job was to keep them from killing him with the treatments. In the end, it was a side effect of a treatment that took him down.

[Prisoner6]

Thank you for that, Tod ...

Lost my Mom 8 years ago to heart disease, and a year later lost my Dad to leukemia. To this day, I still think of them every day and the wonderful times we shared together.

What an interesting perspective you have ... definitely makes you think about living and dying in a different way.

Again, thanks and Merry Christmas to you, Tod, and to all here.

[BA80]

he always told me for him, his job was to keep them from killing him with the treatments.

That's a fact right there. I have a friend that HAD cancer and began to go to a traditional healer and in the 6 months or so of being treated by that physician had some internal organs surgically removed and was made deathly sick and lost his hair from chemotherapy. Still had no sign of it letting up.

He decided to go to a natural healer and was put on a very strict diet. His cancer was GONE within 6 weeks.

[IanDMacDonald]

My father's whole family from cancer, and I am a survivor, and still cancer-free after six long months of radiation. Thank you Tod for that post.

[b.walker5]

Win, lose or draw, one thing I can tell you for sure. It's Definitely a Battle.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Lost both grandparents to cancer.

Like that perspective, Tod. Good way to look at it.

Merry Christmas to all.
Bob

[trbig]

http://themetapicture.com/a-real-present-for-christmas/

[Cuda 69]

Great way to look at it , having lost my sister to cancer at age 56 after a long hard fought battle, and my father being a survivor, and a good friend going through treatments now. Cancer sucks ! Merry Christmas to you all and may you have a safe fun riding season in 2014.

[Crusty Snippets]

Cancer

Mrs Snippets lost her previous husband to cancer. My ex lost her dad to cancer.
Ages 55 and 71. Canada's nicest person, an orthopedic surgeon, a friend and neighbour, got a tumor at 47 and died at 49.
Unfortunately you get stuck with grumpy old buggers like me, and I will be around for quite a while.
Unkle Crusty

[XJOK2PLAY]

Tod,
Seeing that little girl holding that sign with her huge smile reminded me just how much I have to be thankful for this year!

Reminded me of the old saying;
If you think you've got it bad, take a look around you for a moment...

Imagine how sucky that would be at her age to be battling for her life...
And how great it would be to be told she beat it!

I also need not forget my dearly departed mother-in-law. She battled cancer for 10 years. Guess most guys can't say they miss their M-I-L's, but I do.
She was one of the best.

[donebysunday]

My Dad !

As best he could, most times to way above what I think I would be able to do had me planting roses in his front yard weeks before he passed.
He was/is my HERO !!!!!
God Bless Him and all of you through this holiday season !!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL THAT BELIEVE !!!!!

[cruiser]

Thanks Tod, wise words I really need at this time. My mother is currently in this battle and with the holidays I look for positive thoughts to get through.
You've just given me a great new way to look at this, a breath of fresh air.
Blessings to all this holiday season.

[James England]

There was an interesting autobiographical radio programme on the BBC recently. It was written and narrated by the cancer sufferer himself. His perspective throughout the production was that, when he was diagnosed with cancer, he did not want to go down the almost militaristic mental route of ' fighting' cancer. His point was that it was his own body cells which had developed a problem and not a germ, or a virus from an external source which could be 'fought'. He said he found it helpful to not to use terms such as 'battle against cancer', 'fighting cancer' , 'lost the fight against cancer' 'beat cancer' and so on any more than he would be 'fighting' his own heart in the case of heart disease. He said he found it better to look upon it as cells in his own hitherto faithful, reliable and hardworking body which had somehow received a wrong message and begun dividing like crazy. That, like hair and skin and fingernails, the cells were reproducing but they were doing it when they shouldn't....not with malicious intent to kill him but merely making a valiant effort to do what they had been instructed, wrongly, to do. They were not a foe to be vanquished, or a battle to be lost (or drawn, as per the post above)....just part of him doing the wrong thing. He wasn't pleased about it, of course, and wanted it to stop but he did not perceive his attempting to deal with it as a war on of of his own body, to be won or lost.

It altered my perspective on things a bit. As people here know, I lost my mum just over a year ago, and her mother many years before and a grandfather...all to cancer. My girlfriend of 11 years was diagnosed with breast cancer about 18 months ago and she's never once referred to fighting or battling. She just got on with the treatments and things are looking very hopeful for her indeed, God willing. I think, in her case, not mentally going onto a war footing actually helped her. She did undergo chemotherapy and lost her hair, which has now grown back, Herceptin and Tomoxifen too, all provided free of charge, immediately, with wonderful care, by our much maligned and totally amazing National Health System. The Herceptin treatment alone would have cost over $50,000 dollars, not to mention scans, Tomoxifen and removal of the tumour.

I don't know how I personally would deal with it, although, statistically, with people living longer, I may have to, as may we all.