Frank,
I will be thinking of you and praying for you during your surgery tomorrow.
You have been a pillar of strength and I know you will be a great comfort
to your daughter as she has her surgery on the 11th. Just as you said to
Sonya, "Things will work out". Have faith.
Christine
At 03:07 PM 06/01/99 -0600, you wrote:
>My name is Frank,and I am a former Cancer Support Chaplin.I have had four
>major attacks of cancer in the past eleven.Two this past summer.I also have
>something in my bladder,that requires surgery tomorrow.Then I have a spot on
>my liver.Yesterday,I found out that my daughter has kidney cancer and will
>have surgery monday the 11th.Sonya,things will work out.Just hang in
>there..Frank Cromie
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Sonya Walker <sonya_86@yahoo.com>
>To: mol-cancer@lists.meds.com <mol-cancer@lists.meds.com>
>Date: Wednesday, January 06, 1999 2:51 PM
>Subject: Re: [MOL] APPRECIATE ALL YOU MOLERS
>
>
>>Chris R.,
>>I appreciate all your words. Thanks really!
>>
>>Sonya
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>---CCR0417@AOL.COM wrote:
>>>
>>> Sonya,
>>> Your message touched several areas of my own ordeal with my Dad.
>>I've copied
>>> and pasted the ones that apply. I can't offer info as I'm new to
>>this too,
>>> but it may help to hear what someone else who is new is experiencing
>>that is
>>> similar.
>>>
>>> > I found out my step father has lung cancer. He is 56 and the
>>cancer has
>>> spread
>>> > throughout both of his lungs. He's smoked since he was 14.
>>> My father was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (squamous
>>cell) in
>>> August. He thought he was having a heart attack, but the x-ray
>>revealed a
>>> walnut-sized lump in the bottom of his left lung. He is 75 years
>>old, but
>>> even at 46 yrs of age, I am not ready to let him go and he wants to
>>be here;
>>> this moment of my life is forever frozen in time, burned into my
>>heart and
>>> memory as not even the birth of my son was 25 years ago! My father
>>smoked
>>> very heavily since he was 10 and quit completely 55 years later! He
>>has LOTS
>>> of strength, both physical and mental. He is a very faith-filled
>>man, which I
>>> think has been his major hope since August.
>>>
>>> Mom said they haven't even x-rayed him to see if it's doing a thing.
>>She said
>>> he isn't getting nauseated which the doctors say is a good thing.
>>> Surgery was scheduled to remove part of the left lung on Sept 30.
>>While my
>>> father was unconscious, the new Dr. (the surgeon) who had not until
>>then seen
>>> the x-rays decided to have another look and found suspicious marks
>>on the
>>> right lung. Tests revealed that they were also malignant and the
>>doctor
>>> decided to remove the smaller new growths instead (it's a
>>slow-growing form of
>>> cancer, we are told). My father awoke, all alone for more than an
>>hour, in
>>> fear and wondering why his right lung hurt instead of the left. I'm
>>sure he
>>> thought they removed the wrong lung! My father is still getting
>>chemo and has
>>> been since Sept or Oct; plans are to continue through the month,
>>then maybe
>>> radiation. He has had some ups and downs with reactions to chemo,
>>but so far
>>> only one was severe. They offset the side-effects with other drugs
>>to aid his
>>> appetite, keep his blood count up, and eliminate nausea, etc. But in
>>all this
>>> time, they have only done one MRI, and one set of bone and abdomen
>>scans
>>> (which were clean).
>>>
>>> I heard they do so many radiation and chemotherapy treatments and
>>then that's
>>> that his life is up to God from there. Is this true?
>>> I know someone who has had cancer 3 times in her life (as a child,
>>as a young
>>> mother, and in midlife) but she is still here and in her late 60s.
>>She has a
>>> very determined attitude, a bright smile, and if she hadn't told
>>anyone about
>>> her health, no one would ever have been the wiser. I have a friend
>>who has
>>> been undergoing cancer treatments on & off for more than a year; she
>>is still
>>> with us and has good days and bad days, but her cancer has not gone
>>away. She
>>> has never had any surgery, just chemo and radiation.
>>>
>>> He's in Arkansas and I'm in Virginia.
>>> I only live 25 minutes from my father and still there is difficulty in
>>> communication. He doesn't want to discuss it nor does he question
>>the doctors,
>>> just goes along with anything they (actually the onc is a "she")
>>tell him. My
>>> sister lives 1 1/2 hrs away and it's more difficult for her.
>>>
>>> They did tell my mom who has been relaying everything to me that
>>they will not
>>> perform surgery on his lungs because the cancer is spread throughout
>>them
>>> both.
>>> From my experience, this is true. This is what the surgeon told me,
>>that they
>>> CAN'T operate on both lungs...maybe one now, another in the future
>>may be
>>> possible if the tumor shrinks enough. The doctor said that the
>>cancer moves
>>> through the nodes from one lung to the other, and that was his
>>reason for
>>> supporting the oncologist's decision to use chemo although he
>>originally
>>> agreed (in private) that radiation for his type of cancer was the
>>better
>>> choice. I asked him, "...if this was your father, which would you
>>choose?"
>>> He said, "My grandfather did have this. I would go with the
>>radiation." He
>>> is from Mayo Clinic and arrived here only a few months ago; in the
>>face of the
>>> oncologist he wouldn't agree with me.
>>>
>>> My mother is not asking very many questions and the doctors don't
>>seem to be
>>> giving very many answers. I feel pretty much lost and the separation
>>of many
>>> miles sucks at a time like this.
>>> For whatever it's worth, Sonya, I am in the same boat. And the
>>question and
>>> answer problem is true here. I gathered a whole book of info from the
>>> internet, from email like this support group, and included prayers
>>from a
>>> prayer group and lots of jokes for my Dad. He refuses to pick up
>>the book.
>>> He doesn't want to know anything and gets angry with me if I even
>>attempt to
>>> discuss it.
>>>
>>> The only One I've really relied on totally is God. That is the only
>>truly
>>> valuable advice I can give you Sonya. And even there I've had a bit
>>of a
>>> problem because I was disappointed that God hadn't not answered a
>>prayer I've
>>> prayed for years, "...please always protect my family and friends
>>from all
>>> forms of violence: physical, verbal, and diseases." I truly
>>believed my
>>> family was safe, but God has shown me that no matter what comes we
>>are still
>>> in His Hands. I have chosen to continue to place all my faith in Him
>>because
>>> the doctors are like the Three Stooges, communication is pitiful,
>>and He has
>>> placed me in this situation with only His true light to guide. I
>>trust that
>>> He will give us sufficent time for all our needs. That's really all
>>any of us
>>> has, this day. Will I live tomorrow? Will my son? Will my Dad? Only
>>God knows
>>> for certain; we simply trust that we will.
>>>
>>> God bless you Sonya.
>>> Chris R.
>>>
>>> He keeps telling me on the phone he's fine and he sounds fine but I
>>know he's
>>> not fine.
>>>
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