Living with Cancer

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Comment by Alayne on July 19, 2009 at 3:15pm

My son and I have just come through a very long year (14 months really). In April 2008, he was diagnosed with Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor. It is a very rare and aggressive brain tumor. Only thirty case a year are diagnosed. My son underwent surgery to remove the tumor, six weeks of radiation, and a year of intensive "kitchen sink" chemotherapy. As hard as the last fourteen months have been, I know the hardest part is going to be learning to live with the fear of it coming back. He will have to get MRIs every three months for the next two years and then every six months for three years after that. Once he hits the five year mark, they will do an annual MRI for - ever.

I am now faced with finding a teaching job and trying to get our lives back to normal. I had to quit work to provide 24/7 care for him. The chemotherapy put him in the hospital for about 75% of last year. As a single parent, working was simply not possible.

I pray every day that we never have to see the inside of Children's Medical Center ever again.

Comment by Melissa on December 7, 2008 at 2:56am

Awww thanks so much Michelle I really appreciate that, and good luck as well we will be praying for you.

Comment by Survivormom04 on December 6, 2008 at 11:47pm

Hello all. This February I will be celebrating my 5 yr mark in Suvivorship. In 2004 I was diagnosed with breast cancer....1 month after discovering I was 5 months pregnant(long story there), and 2 days after my husband got his orders of deployment to Iraq. Since then my life has been quite the roller coaster...

Comment by Michelle on November 11, 2008 at 10:34pm

I just had my portacath removal surgery this past monday...not neaely as bad as having it put in but I still feel like I have been hit by a train. This marks a HUGE milestone with my fight against cancer..obv they thought it was safe enough to come out =)

Comment by Michelle on November 11, 2008 at 10:32pm

Melissa my heart goes out to you, I always thought how lucky I was to be the one going through cancer rather than my child, my mother, family, etc. hope you guys see a lifetime of clear scans<3

Comment by Jim Everson on November 4, 2008 at 8:48am

I start radiation on Thursday November 6th for three weeks and then begin one year of interferon injections. It is going to be a long and bumpy ride, but if it means I have that much more chance of seeing my children get older it is worth it.

Comment by Melissa on October 29, 2008 at 3:07pm

My daughter was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma when she was 15 months old, she's been through chemo, and numerous surgeries. But I'm happy to say that she is doing great, granted she still has a tumor in her spinal canal but it's not active right now. She's been technically in remission for about 3yrs, if that's what you call it. We go to the children's hospital every 4 months for scans, so far so good.

Comment by Michelle on October 11, 2008 at 9:50pm

So....my 6 month catscan since treatment shows a mass in my chest. Nothing they are worrying about right now as long as it shows no growth in the months to come. can I just say how much i hate this SH*@ in my body! =(

Comment by Margo on September 30, 2008 at 12:38am

While I do not have cancer and pray I never get it, our family has lost 3 loved ones in the last several years. Two years ago my mother passed away from Breast cancer that she never shared w/us or anyone else. A couple of months before that my husband had passed from a losing battle of stage 3 Multiple Myeloma cancer. Then back in 2001, his mother died from lung cancer. Of course that was due to the many years of smoking that she just would not give up. I have a plaque in my hallway about what Cancer cannot do, but I think I am more concerned with how the kids are handling it all. Keeping my chin above water.

Comment by mm on September 18, 2008 at 8:05am

Hey Jim, I am glad you brought up that point about taking care of our kids skin now and ours as well. I remember using baby oil to tan in Jr. High and High School. Stupid. Luckily I stopped and didn't join my mom and sister in their tanning phase at the salon. I am a happy pasty white and very rarely does the sun catch me off guard. Sad thing is the damage is already done because my mom didn't have a clue. Kind of like them smoking in the car with the windows up, while we were in the car...Our bodies are amazing machines though and it has such great ability to fight off the bad stuff. You should utube cells and watch some of the videos on phagocytes and such to see how it all works. Simply amazing. I know kind of nerdy that I watch them, but I am just amazed at how it all works. Best of luck to you and your treatment. You seem like a strong individual and will do great. Keep us updated on your progress..

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