A borrowed post: What you can do for me

Today's post is a little different because I'm not going to write it, I'm going to plagiarize it.  (I did get permission, though).


George is a kindred spirit fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma as well.  Like myself, he lives on the front range in Colorado and loves cycling, and he has a blog, which I follow very closely.   He recently had a post which I thought was absolutely terrific and I asked if could share it and post portions from it on my own blog here to which he graciously said yes.   The link to the full blog is here called "What does it feel like to have cancer? and the call that saved my life."  


This is a great post in two parts.  I really enjoyed reading "What does it feel like to have cancer?"  My experience was a little different, which is what makes these stories interesting to me.   However, what I really want to focus on is the second part, which I'll quote, since he wrote it far more eloquently than I could have.  Truthfully, this train of thought never even occurred to me.

Many people have asked me over the last 2 1/2 months what they can do to help me. It's taken me a while to figure out a good answer but it occurred to me this week. So here it is:

The best thing you can do to help me is to promise me that you'll be diligent about getting regular diagnostic exams. Some of these exams are a bit uncomfortable and invasive (for both men and women!) so I know that there's a tendency to skip getting your check-up when you're feeling great. But feeling great isn't a guarantee that everything is all good inside you.  And you're making me a promise to do this - right? Talk to your care giver and figure out what the current best practice is because guidelines on diagnostics do change over time based on research and of course your personal history - family history, age, etc. It would really make me feel good to know that one of the benefits of this journey I'm on is that a bunch of people I care about are taking care of themselves and  if there is something wrong, they're getting the bad news early, when the cure rates are higher and the treatment course less obnoxious. My journey through cancer so far has been much easier than many other people, but I can tell you this - I would not wish this experience on anyone. Forget the wisdom, forget the renewed joy in living each day to its fullest. I'd much rather have had no illness, be healthy every day until I was 85 or 90 and then die quietly in my sleep.

So that's my request for your help. It takes some discipline because I'm expecting you to do this year in and year out. Getting one exam and then being a slacker doesn't cut it! You'll know if you're holding true to this promise and I expect you will do this - for me, for you and for your family.

Like I said, this was expressed better than I ever could have, and when I asked if I could share it, his response was as follows:

On the “what does it feel like to have cancer” front – yeah, feel free to make references, steal text verbatim, whatever. I would LOVE to think that somewhere down the road we helped someone get diagnosed early rather than later with some problem. Anything I can do to contribute to that – sign me up. 

I couldn't agree more with all of this.  I've learned an awful lot going through cancer, mostly about myself, but like George, no one wants these lessons and I'd give them all up in a second.   I truly hope that in some small way posting this request prevents someone else from having to deal with this, or at least lessens the seriousness of any potential issues.