Dear Jonathan:
You are my hero and you and your wife are people I would most like to have dinner with should the opportunity ever arise. You are not only a great writer, a skill I admire, but you are thoughtful, learned, focused, and willing to share knowledge that you have acquired over your lifetime. You have built a knowledge community like no other that I have encountered. This is a remarkable feat given the times we live in and the rapid dissemination of misinformation we experience. You and this community have helped me build understanding and confidence in my life decisions going forward after I lost my spouse to a rare form of cancer at 63, just at the time that immunotherapy was beginning to gain some positive results. He too was a cyclist and healthy eater. We used to joke about his having his "one beer a year" though in reality it was probably a bit more. For you and Elaine, I would offer that there is always hope. Even though the research dollars are devoted to common forms of disease, the promise of immunotherapy and a growing body of knowledge mean we truly live in remarkable times. There is likely a community of folks that have your form of cancer that can share with you their experiences with various treatments, clinical trials, and also provide positive support. Finding doctors who have direct experience with your form of cancer may help as well. Some therapies for one form of cancer have been found to help others with some similar characteristics even if it is a different cancer altogether. I was sure to tell people the specific name of cancer, synovial sarcoma, that my husband had in a small effort to build awareness for it and help lobby for more research dollars and also help stay tuned in to evolving research. I hope I am not overstepping by offering this advice. You have helped me so much with building my retirement plan, that I would like to return the favor in some small way. I say this recognizing that your journey is personal and individual so trash this if it goes too far. Thank you for openly sharing so much helpful information and for establishing and maintaining this supportive and open community. Cathy
Comments
Dear Jonathan: You are my hero and you and your wife are people I would most like to have dinner with should the opportunity ever arise. You are not only a great writer, a skill I admire, but you are thoughtful, learned, focused, and willing to share knowledge that you have acquired over your lifetime. You have built a knowledge community like no other that I have encountered. This is a remarkable feat given the times we live in and the rapid dissemination of misinformation we experience. You and this community have helped me build understanding and confidence in my life decisions going forward after I lost my spouse to a rare form of cancer at 63, just at the time that immunotherapy was beginning to gain some positive results. He too was a cyclist and healthy eater. We used to joke about his having his "one beer a year" though in reality it was probably a bit more. For you and Elaine, I would offer that there is always hope. Even though the research dollars are devoted to common forms of disease, the promise of immunotherapy and a growing body of knowledge mean we truly live in remarkable times. There is likely a community of folks that have your form of cancer that can share with you their experiences with various treatments, clinical trials, and also provide positive support. Finding doctors who have direct experience with your form of cancer may help as well. Some therapies for one form of cancer have been found to help others with some similar characteristics even if it is a different cancer altogether. I was sure to tell people the specific name of cancer, synovial sarcoma, that my husband had in a small effort to build awareness for it and help lobby for more research dollars and also help stay tuned in to evolving research. I hope I am not overstepping by offering this advice. You have helped me so much with building my retirement plan, that I would like to return the favor in some small way. I say this recognizing that your journey is personal and individual so trash this if it goes too far. Thank you for openly sharing so much helpful information and for establishing and maintaining this supportive and open community. Cathy
Post: The C Word
Link to comment from June 16, 2024