For sure.  I don't necessarily blame people, it's just not a tool many have in their toolkit (dealing with mortality, knowing what to say).  Most people don't know you just have to be there, and take the guidance of the person in strife.   I called Cancer Invisibility - the superpower you get from cancer radiation treatments, that nobody actually really wants:  Cancer & Invisibility - Cancer Council Online Community   ... View more

Hey Hey - I just wanted to share this story done by Channel 10's "The Project", I thought that people struggling with cancer might find it a source of hope.  (Plus I just think it's weird, funny, defies expectations and norms, and in that - it kinda defies cancer:   https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=283341400051472)   ... View more

Hey there.  I started this thread almost 5 years ago, trying to figure out how bad things were going to get, what the right decisions were, what the smart choices were, how to best navigate through my treatment.  I'm sorry if this isn't appropriate, I've just corresponded with a bunch of people in this thread over that time, and in sharing our advice, trying to help each other, I think we had a little core of people who also ended up helping themselves.   April, I lost almost all of that thyroid weight.  I don't know if you're still struggling, but I've dropped more than 50kg of the 60 that I put on after treatment.  Still have the laundry-list of medical problems, but I no longer allow them to contaminate my life & my hope.   If you wanted to, this is a story on Channel 10s "The Project" about a big walk that my cancer took me on,  I wanted to share it because for me it's the Coda of my fight with cancer & it's side effects, it's me putting cancer completely behind me.   https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=283341400051472   ... View more

Good morning, All.  Happy Queen's Birthday long weekend, eh ?   I just wanted to write and share something that might be a source of hope for you.   I know you're probably reading this because you've suffered a blow.  A horrible diagnosis.  You're reeling, just as I was.  I remember that feeling vividly, and I first wrote this "it isn't the end" post in the hopes that I could show you, in a concrete way, that you need to find and hang onto your anchor.  Your hope.   The odds of survival were NOT in my favour, but to update, I'm inching extremely close to my 5 year treatment anniversary (already past the anniversary of my diagnosis).  According to the data, my survival & recurrence risk drops to not substantially above the normal population !   You got that ?  Five years ago, I was doomed to imminently die.  In a couple of months, I'll be .. well, I wouldn't go so far as say 'back to normal'   I won't be able to write then, I'll have a backpack on my shoulder.  I'll be dressed as the boofhead superhero Captain Australia.  I'll be walking from Brisbane to Melbourne, a winding 2400km+ route down the east coastline.  I'll be doing it for The Kids' Cancer Project (I couldn't abide seeing kids waiting for treatment).   The Channel 10 show, THE PROJECT did a story on it if you're curious:  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=283341400051472   If we warped back in time, to that moment I sat in that white room, that hospital room, looking aghast at the doctor with the kind eyes, that version of me could NEVER, not EVER have anticipated this future.  This feeling, this solid feeling of hope, survival .. even .... rebirth.   What should that tell you ?   YOU CAN HAVE IT TOO !!!!!!!!!!!!   Fight the fear.  Fight the depression.  Resist until your last breath.  You *can* survive.  You *can* thrive.  Fuck cancer.  You muscle up, pull every little piece of power you have in you, every little shred of spiritual strength, and you go KUNG FU all over this cancer.   This isn't the end. ... View more

Thanks for your kindness - I hope everything goes well for you.  Cancer is such a tricky adversary, relentless in how it finds new ways to come at you.  I think the key is mental health and sustaining your hope.   Since my original post, I've moved universes forward from where I was even then.   I've sorted out most of the radiation-thyroid weight (down around 96kg or so now, l lost more than 50kg (then put a little bit back on as I resumed normal eating).  I've been working hard - and the largest part of that stems out of hope.  Hope of survival, hope of a future.   For me, I wound that into being of service - I'm going to walk Brisbane to Melbourne (26.12.21) for a charity called The Kids' Cancer Project.    The Channel 10 show THE PROJECT did a story on it on the telly, here's a link if you're curious:  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=283341400051472   So yeah, I can't overstate how important it is to maintain your hope.  Even if you got bad news from the doctors, it isn't the end, you should always live in hope of spontaneous remission, hope of love, happiness, joy of some sort in your future.     ... View more

Hi there - and thanks for your kind words.   It's funny, looking back on your musings throughout a time of struggle.  I was pretty prolific here when fighting cancer  - I think at first I was just researching, trying to wrap my head around my disease, but after that, even when still in the trenches, I think I was writing little messages for future people, anyone who stumbles along and might be a few steps behind me.   In December (this year 2021), I'll reach my 5 year treatment anniversary, which is when the doctors start losing interest in you, and using optimistic phrases like "cured" or "total remission"   I still fret about cancer sometimes - it's strange, it's more in a sense of what a black joke it would be on me, to come so far and then get hit with an untreatable remission or something.  A laugh & cry kind of moment, I guess.   Because yeah, I'm still smiling.    My travel insurance company collapsed with the COVID border closures.     Still smiling.   I'm going to dress up as the superhero Captain Australia and walk from Brisbane to Melbourne for The Kids' Cancer Project.  Still smiling 🙂   (https://captain-australias-big-walk.raisely.com/) ... View more

Wow, Janine - thank you for your kind words.  I'm not sure I deserve them, but I sure will try and live up to them.  All the very best to you (and anybody else who comes to this unfortunate place.  Be strong!)           --- Support Captain Australia's BIG WALK for the Kids' Cancer Project, Info here:  https://captain-australias-big-walk.raisely.com/ --- ... View more

Hey Hannah   I'm really sorry you're doing it tough.  At exactly the time you need to reach out for your loved ones, you're stuck.  I wonder if you could write to the department of health asking for a compassionate exemption ?   It's all quite absurd to me - the thing I can't wrap my head around is .. if over the past week there have been almost a thousand cases diagnosed, how is it there have only been 2 deaths (with pre-existing conditions aged 70+ and 90+) .. I thought the numbers were much less optimistic than that - maybe the darker numbers are based on the health system being overwhelmed and disease without intervention.   I may be disremembering the numbers, but I seem to recall there being about 10 suicides per day in Australia this past year.  So the death toll to suicide is therefore up in the thousands.  (Typically < 40 years old).   And yet there's virtually no mention of it in contrast.  I'm honestly puzzled and confused by the world around me these days -- but I'm an old fogey with chemo-brain so I have an excuse to rattle on 🙂   COVID killed my successful travel insurance business - and now it's keeping you from your family at a time when you desperately need to be with them.  I'm so sorry.   I can't really answer for that stuff - but I can tell you .. the cancer projections are just numbers.  Don't look at 2-3 years as a finite sentence, you might buck the odds.  And if it is the remainder of your life set out in front of you --- squeeze the most love and joy out of those days, weeks, months & years as you possibly can.   I wish you the very best - I'm sorry you're doing it tough.  ZOOM isn't as good as an in-the-flesh hug, but I suppose it will have to do for the immediate short term ... ... View more

Hey Suzi - thanks so much for your kind words.   I think it is really easy to let cancer's relentless attack grind you down - and when it's happening, it's like depression, it's hard to see the way out, hard to see any light.     But push through, 100% it can and does get better.  Congratulations on beating cancer, I hope your recovery phase is shorter and better/less work than mine has been 🙂 ... View more