Reply #50: Good vibes from Germany [View All]

[DFW]

It hits you like a big sledge hammer, doesn't it?

When my wife got her cancer diagnosis almost 9 years ago, it turned our lives upside down, too.
We had been together for 27 years then. She came through it, so we lucked out, but her brother
got a stage 4 glioblastoma, the kind of brain cancer that Teddy Kennedy had. He beat the odds
by survivng his diagnosis for 2½ years instead of the usual 6-9 months, but he was gone at age 52.

The right treatment, a strong will to live, and a healthy life style can put off bad things for
long time--with some cancers a VERY long time. Do what you have to, do what you can, and make the
most out of what time you can spend together, whether it's 1 year or another 50.

Three years after my wife had her cancer diagnosis, I nearly dropped dead from a heart condition
I didn't even know I had. I had it treated and changed my diet drastically (you want the definition
of torture? Try living in Europe, and be forbidden from eating cheese). I lucked out, but the
surgeon who worked on me said it was "just in time." So do you wife a favor, and get yourself
checked out. She'll last longer if she has the peace of mind of knowing you're OK, too.