When you can’t make lemonade….
“YOU have cancer.”
You’ve heard the old saying “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade?”
Now, how in the world do you make lemonade out of that?
There is no “good” cancer. Some can be cured, but it takes time and treatment that can hurt and turn a body inside-out before it gets better. Some can be controlled, or disappeared, but there’s always the fear that some day a new ache in your back isn’t just a pulled muscle: It’s a sign your old “friend,” cancer has made a return visit.
There is no lemonade in cancer world.
My dear friend and his family are trying to make the best of his cancer diagnosis and now the effects of its spread. It’s so hard to put the best face on this recent development. The diagnosis was shocking enough, but the speed in which his cancer is causing serious problems is beyond belief. He is getting good care, but this may be beyond even the best doctors reach.
He’s used to being in control of his life and I see how that is slowly evaporating too.
And I can’t do anything to change this.
I can not make lemonade.
September 9, 2015 @ 4:57 pm
A friend who is in his mid 70’s has been living with chronic leukemia for quite some time and doing very well learned that it has morphed into acute leukemia, particularly difficult to treat. His doc told him that he had maybe 90 days. When I heard this I called him to get the real story. It’s all true he said. I offered that the doc only has a guess at how much time he has remaining. Only God knows for sure! He said that he was OK with the diagnosis and the doc said he’d try to get him into a clinical trial but not to count on it because of his age.
Well don’t you know, he qualified in this new trial. He only has to take a pill and not receive an infusion. The limited success is based upon 12 patients. 6 have gone into remission….not sure about the remaining 6 but I surmise it is not good. So he is guardedly optimistic and will embark this week on a new chapter in his life. Even at our ages, we have much to look forward to and cling to the “little light of Hope”. Hope and optimism (reality is pushed to the back for awhile) is so much better than to live out your remaining days with depression and darkness.
September 9, 2015 @ 11:24 am
Heartbreaking, Laurie.