Recent Comments:
Ehrenreich on the "Blame the cancer patient" mentality
The Cancer Blog
Aug 5th 2007 4:30PM I don't know anybody who blames me for the RCC. Just the reverse. Since I was diagnosed, about 30 months ago, several of my friends have sent me stories on possible treatments, etc. Most of the time they are useless, but the thought is good.
Living our lives within the doctrine of good exercise and diet is wonderful. It adds many advantages to many people: less risk of heart and non-cancer kidney disease, more energy, better mental health, etc. However, it has nothing to do with getting cancer or getting run over by a truck and to pretend it does is tatamount to setting one's self up or failure. On my blog I have several readers who begin their story with "It's not fair. I have done all the right things all my life."
Cancer is not fair. Life is not guaranteed. Life is precious, but it is also fleeting.I read this blogger is an "activist." Perhaps she should spend more time being active in helping people learn to live in the real world, not the one that is "supposed" to be.
David Foster
Thought for the Day: How long until you're cured?
The Cancer Blog
Jun 22nd 2007 10:39PM I am with Richard on this one, thinking of cancer as cured might be just a tad naive. First, I think, it is best to understand from the get-go that you do have a disease that can kill you. With that out of the way, just live your life best you can, but always with a Warrior's attitude. Then if it goes away and never comes back you are ahed of the game; if it comes back or mets tragically somewhere else (as it did to my brain), well you just put the helmet back on and get back into the fight. Fake attitudes and wishful thinking are not going to get a Warrior much of anywhere in this deadly game.
David Foster
www.mpablog.typepad.com/david_foster
FDA gives stamp of approval for kidney cancer drug
The Cancer Blog
Jun 22nd 2007 10:33PM Finally, a site with the facts. Toriesel, as I understand it, is for people with very advanced kidney cancer who are looking for months, not years. I see that many sites and message boards are holding out to be something entirely different and many who are just tired of the SEs from Sutent and Nexavar looking for relief and, maybe this one will do it. But from what I read it is much more last stand than anything else and not a replacement for sutent or Nexavar. Am I wrong?
David Foster
www.mpablog.typepad.com/david_foster
Thought for the day: talk to teens about cancer
The Cancer Blog
Jun 22nd 2007 10:26PM Boy, is this a complex subject. Since I was DX with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma I can barely get my now 18 year old to talk about it. Can't even lead her to the water. The old saying is "wait until the time is right" and I have no particular medical reason at this time to discuss the subject with her, but she does sort of avoid me, thinking, I suppose, I am going to jump right in, which I am not going to do.
On my blog I hear from many caregivers about many issues, but this is seldom one of them, perhaps because kidney cancer patients tend to be older. But I am sure there are lots of folks out there with some confused or angry kids because mom or dad have cancer and won't talk to anybody about it.
Anybody with some comments?
David Foster
www.mpablog.typepad.com/david_foster
