Having lived in hurricane territory all of my life I know the value of having cash when the power is out. Hurricanes provide you some warning. However not all events do. We had a straight line wind storm in Memphis in the early 2000s (dubbed Hurricane Elvis) that flattened the city and had power out for 2 weeks. Stores were taking cash, but if you didn’t already have it squirreled away you couldn’t get it from the ATM with the power out. Incidentally nowhere had change to give either. So I learned to not only have cash handy but have it in small bills, too (1s, 5s, 10s and 20s).
This is a lot to wake up to on a Saturday morning. But I want to say this. I have had two friends diagnosed with lung cancer years ago. Both tennis players. Both, like you - healthy, educated, well off people. Only difference in you is both are women. C was diagnosed about 10 years ago. It was a dire diagnosis. Non smoker, but had lung cancer and it had spread to many other areas of her body. When she had surgery the doctor told her husband in effect they took as much of her lung as they could while allowing her to stay alive. She went through chemo. And she had some rough times. H was diagnosed in her early 50s about 6 years ago. It was a sudden shock. She was getting winded while exercising and playing tennis and went to the doctor to discover lung cancer (another non smoker). It had also spread all over her body. She immediately started chemo. For whatever reason she avoided surgery, but had several other procedures where they lasered lesions from her brain and spine. Her recovery was long. Frankly I thought both women would not live long when initially diagnosed. Both are still alive today. I still play tennis with H. And I see C at the tennis club quite often (she is older and plays with a different set). Both women had something to live for (family, grandchildren) and both are pretty tenacious fighters. FWIW both were treated at Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, NC. I realize your diagnosis is dire and you are a realist. But the care that is available today is nothing short of miraculous. Technology advances exponentially, not linearly and new techniques are being used everyday. Find your fighting spirit and we expect many more years of Humble Dollar.
Comments
Having lived in hurricane territory all of my life I know the value of having cash when the power is out. Hurricanes provide you some warning. However not all events do. We had a straight line wind storm in Memphis in the early 2000s (dubbed Hurricane Elvis) that flattened the city and had power out for 2 weeks. Stores were taking cash, but if you didn’t already have it squirreled away you couldn’t get it from the ATM with the power out. Incidentally nowhere had change to give either. So I learned to not only have cash handy but have it in small bills, too (1s, 5s, 10s and 20s).
Post: Cash Ain’t Trash
Link to comment from December 27, 2025
This is a lot to wake up to on a Saturday morning. But I want to say this. I have had two friends diagnosed with lung cancer years ago. Both tennis players. Both, like you - healthy, educated, well off people. Only difference in you is both are women. C was diagnosed about 10 years ago. It was a dire diagnosis. Non smoker, but had lung cancer and it had spread to many other areas of her body. When she had surgery the doctor told her husband in effect they took as much of her lung as they could while allowing her to stay alive. She went through chemo. And she had some rough times. H was diagnosed in her early 50s about 6 years ago. It was a sudden shock. She was getting winded while exercising and playing tennis and went to the doctor to discover lung cancer (another non smoker). It had also spread all over her body. She immediately started chemo. For whatever reason she avoided surgery, but had several other procedures where they lasered lesions from her brain and spine. Her recovery was long. Frankly I thought both women would not live long when initially diagnosed. Both are still alive today. I still play tennis with H. And I see C at the tennis club quite often (she is older and plays with a different set). Both women had something to live for (family, grandchildren) and both are pretty tenacious fighters. FWIW both were treated at Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, NC. I realize your diagnosis is dire and you are a realist. But the care that is available today is nothing short of miraculous. Technology advances exponentially, not linearly and new techniques are being used everyday. Find your fighting spirit and we expect many more years of Humble Dollar.
Post: The C Word
Link to comment from June 15, 2024