The "World Cancer Day" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with my wife, Carol, about the fact that the two of us are able to say that we are cancer survivors.  Sounds totally different than it feels!  Having the big "C" is an experience that no one ever wants to experience and when we both found out we had it within a few days of each other it was...well it was a really big whammy.  We were both upset and scared for months on end until we found out our surgeries and following treatments proved to be successful.  This past weekend in our Sunday's "Parade Magazine" we saw an article titled "The People vs. Cancer."  Started with a sentence telling the world that the death rate from the disease in the U.S. has dropped 26% since 1991.  Better still, improved prevention and screening tactics could help bring those numbers down even more.  Very encouraging news to say the least.  For years I have been having PSA tests done at least once a year while Carol has been having mammograms done yearly.  

The screening has been the big reason that we both found out about our cancers at an early stage.  After having a rather abnormal PSA test I had a biopsy done on my prostate which showed cancer in a few of the samples they extracted.  A discussion with my urologist gave me a few choices of treatment until he suggested I have a gene test completed.  That showed I have the mutated BRACA 2 gene and that eliminated a few of my choices.  Cryosurgery was performed and that was successful.  Carol's mammogram showed a small lump and more testing followed.  A lumpectomy was performed followed by radiation treatments and she is now cancer free.  But...it never ends.  Carol will go for another mammogram soon to see if everything is still OK while I was back for another PSA that happened to be .08 higher than the reading half a year ago.  I will now wait a few months and have another test done.  

Then we will see.  For both of us its the waiting and waiting, not knowing what will happen that was the worst.  Why did we ever get cancer in the first place?  Was it hereditary?  Probably, but we're not sure.  Was it due to our environment?  Probably, but we're not sure.  Do we eat the right things?  Probably, but we're not sure.  I eat a lot of white bread while Carol loves red meat.  Can't be good, right.  Could we have developed the disease because we both are in our 70s?  Maybe, but who knows.  Did we have tests done on a regular basis?  You bet we did, and that's what saved us.  The few items that can help the most are: (1) Don't smoke or frequent places where people smoke, (2) Maintain a healthy weight and watch what we eat and (3) Stay active.  We try as hard as we can to stay healthy, but its tough, as everyone knows.  And, we can't seem to stop worrying about what may happen next to us.  We beat it once, but can we continue to do so.  You bet we can, with a little help from our friends!   The power is ours...and yours.  This past Sunday was World Cancer Day and it's everyone's responsibility to make an effort to make sure you are up to date with your cancer screenings, eat healthy if possible and don't smoke!!  Hey, it's your life.  We're pulling for all of you just as many of you did for us this past year.  It really helps.  You got us through it.  Thanks to all of you and God bless you as he has blessed us!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.