This entry has been a long time coming. I haven’t sat down to compose in a while. Not because I have lost interest in the lung cancer world, but simply because I have been doing advocacy work and helping other people going through treatment. I also just completed my 8th year cancer free with a clean scan last week. I have turned a corner, the fear isn’t as overwhelming, and I have contained the amount of time where I feel nervous to right after the doctor walks in the room and right before he says, “Scan looks good!’ I’ve come a long way baby.
However that said I am still walking the walk with other lung cancer patients who are going through diagnosis and treatment. I can share all their fears, understand their thoughts and sometimes even know what they are going to think before they do, because I have been down this path so many times, with not only myself but with others who came after me. These people have become my friends and I worry about them as much as I worried for myself, and that is what keeps me centered in the cancer world. I am also able to see all the progress in research and development; it is coming along fast and furious. Although, it might not be as fast as some would like, it is faster than it has before and it is really moving full force. It is a very exciting time in lung cancer treatment and that is the message I am striving to share.
I try to help others carry the burden and lessen the load as much as humanely possible. I know better than others that sometimes you can only do so much, because the fear is so deep that no one can lessen it. What I do hope is that through me I can bring some hope to people receiving treatment right now, because at the end of the day we are still all in this together, whether you hear from me or not.