My mom once told me that the only thing she knew of that was worse than having cancer, was being the long-term caregiver for someone who had cancer. She was taking care of her sister at the time, who had stomach cancer.
Then my mom passed away a few years later, due to lung cancer -- caused in part by her sister who was allowed to smoke like a chimney, even in the hospital, because she was at stage 4. My dad was the primary care giver for my mom.
My dad recently passed away in ICU, when I had to make the hard choice to remove the ventilator instead of doing a tracheotomy, because everyone in the family knew that the last thing he wanted in life was to die in a nursing home. And if we had them do a tracheotomy, he would never be able to go home again. He never woke up, and passed within an hour of removing the ventilator. He was 74.
I've had thyroid cancer, which was surgically removed and then I had radioactive iodine therapy afterward. I'll be on synthetic thyroid replacement medication for the rest of my life.
I don't think I have much illusion about what is around the corner for me. I'm just trying to put it off for as long as I can, try to get some good work done in the time I have left, and enjoy spending as much time as I can with my wife and what is left of the family.
Then my mom passed away a few years later, due to lung cancer -- caused in part by her sister who was allowed to smoke like a chimney, even in the hospital, because she was at stage 4. My dad was the primary care giver for my mom.
My dad recently passed away in ICU, when I had to make the hard choice to remove the ventilator instead of doing a tracheotomy, because everyone in the family knew that the last thing he wanted in life was to die in a nursing home. And if we had them do a tracheotomy, he would never be able to go home again. He never woke up, and passed within an hour of removing the ventilator. He was 74.
I've had thyroid cancer, which was surgically removed and then I had radioactive iodine therapy afterward. I'll be on synthetic thyroid replacement medication for the rest of my life.
I don't think I have much illusion about what is around the corner for me. I'm just trying to put it off for as long as I can, try to get some good work done in the time I have left, and enjoy spending as much time as I can with my wife and what is left of the family.