Rita lost her husband to brain cancer last year, about 10 months after diagnosis. We commiserated about the cancer journey – the good days and bad days, the anxiety, the way you begin to accept whatever comes and, Jeff noted, the change in appetite and the level of fatigue. Jeff is astonished by the number of people he meets who are affected by cancer. He speculated that half of the people in the restaurant either have had cancer or had a close family member who had cancer.
He made me wonder whether that could be true or does it just seem so prevalent because we are currently absorbed by the world of cancer. This website is interesting: http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/ocs/prevalence/
Jeff seems to be building a sort of cancer coterie here in the neighborhood. He talks to his friend, Martin, who is a cancer caregiver for his wife, Pat. He thinks about people nearby that he knows are sitting in their homes just like he is - coping with cancer. Earlier this week, Jeff told me that he often thinks about Debbie, a friend from Kerry’s Boy Scout days and a fellow cancer patient. Today, Debbie called Jeff. Her diagnosis is pretty ugly and her prognosis fairly dire. The two of them had some experiences in common (all-over hair loss being one of them.) They promised to speak again. It will help them both pass the time and, hopefully, be mutually beneficial.
I asked Jeff to help me wrap up this blog entry. He suggested, “Sometimes the best medicine is talking about your problems” which we decided was trying to be the cliche “misery loves company” to which he added, “but who would want to work for that company…” Anyway, pray, please, for all of the above mentioned.
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