Okay, I know we throw around a lot of silly toy complaints and day-to-day first world problems, but cancer is a serious b*tch and deserves a thread all on its own. The times are now, nearly everyone has been or will touched by it in a very personal way; either through a close friend, loved one, or family member. And some of us in this relatively small community are people who have faced it personally. Feel free to share your own story here if you like.

I have lost a grandmother to cancer, my mother underwent long treatment for breast cancer, and I have just learned a close relative who was like an uncle to me has passed away. He was barely diagnosed a month ago, but the cancer had spread to his intestines, lymph nodes, spinal column, and stomach. In a short period he went from seemingly healthy to loss of all function and constant unmanagemeable pain. He was a good man, and while I am glad that his suffering was not long, his loss is still hard to comprehend.

So fuck you cancer. I've had enough. The medical and science community is coming for you. I send out my thoughts for all those who have been touched by this disease, and condolences to all those it has taken without due. I know people's tax dollars are a sensitive thing, and your priorties are you own, but donate what you can when can. Research can get there, and public healthcare ensures families don't have to be doubly burdened by such tragedies.

Fuck cancer.

Fuck it!! fuck it hard.

Definitely something that's been hard for me to talk about - I know several members have made posts in regards to their diagnosis and treatment and each time I try to write something in response I've gotten stuck. I hate it.
First my grandfather - who was probably the best person I've ever known - died from lung cancer. He was a smoker earlier in life, but when my mom and uncle were very little he quit. Fifty years later he's diagnosed, has unsuccessful surgery, suffers and hangs on longer than any doctor thought he would. Next my grandmother gets breast cancer. She gets it treated successfully...or so they thought. Next my uncle gets colon cancer. Receives successful treatment and appears to be clear to this day. Next my mom gets breast cancer at about the same time my grandmother gets it again - my grandmother's second bout was caused by the radiation she received to treat it the first time around. My grandmother, knowing how terrible the treatment is from her first bout, and from seeing her husband go through unsuccessful treatment, decides she's going to manage the cancer but not treat it. While she's slowly dying my mother is going through treatment and is unable to visit her mother before she passes away. And finally, about a month ago my dog is diagnosed with chemodectoma, which lead to an episode of acute heart failure. In a way this has been the most difficult for me. It was incredibly hard leaving my grandmother and grandfather (they lived in AZ) knowing that I'd never see them again. But they were also ready for whatever lies ahead - they enjoyed their lives to the fullest and were at peace with what was coming.
About a year ago I went and listened to Michio Kaku speak on the next 100 years of technological advancements. He said that within this time - and sooner rather than later - cancer treatment is going to make a giant leap forward and will make current treatment look like blood-letting in comparison. There are diagnosis devices that will be able to detect cancer far earlier than we're currently catching it. An example was a toilet that would be able to analyze our waste to detect cancer. This means that cancers that are currently thought to be terminal will be curable - I forget which cancer, perhaps pancreatic, but it's only terminal because we generally don't detect it until it's been growing for several years. If you're able to detect it very early then it can be treated.
I've also read about potential nano treatments - one that stuck with me was a nano device that is engineered to flock to cancer cells and attach to them. These devices are covered in gold and by beaming a frequency in the direction of the cancer the gold nanobots will heat up and cook the cancer cells, killing them. But surrounding tissue will be left unaffected.
And just recently I read this about a cannabis-based treatment: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/1 ... 98208.html
And then there's this amazing kid: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679873/a-ch ... 5-year-old
It's encouraging to see that we seem to be on the brink of breakthroughs. But also frustrating knowing that loved ones are dying today, when in another 10+ years they may be able to receive successful treatments.

I'm not one for preaching (all that much), but if something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Get it checked before it could possibly be something more serious as time passes!

I know my hero (NOT) Lance Armstrong waited entirely too long before seeing a doctor and by that time his cancer had spread to his brain. He just always assumed he was too healthy for something like cancer to happen to him. Thankfully they were still able to help him, but maybe that fucked with his better judgment later on in his life.....

Don't be afraid to tell your doctor something doesn't feel right. Don't be intimidated by their title and hesitate to bring things up. Patients need to remember physicians and practitioners are there to serve you.

Don't be afraid to ask questions about your treatment/procedures/tests. I can't tell you how many times Nate encounters patients who are going for testing and they don't even know why.

I too have seen the havok cancer does to families. But we have to take the initiative ourselves when it comes to our health. Who knows our bodies better than we do?

I have 2 more radiation sessions and will finally be finished.

I can't wait and am clawing my way to the finish line. This has been the worst and I am so thankful it's almost over. I am in so much pain, the liquid pain control barely helps. Its outrageous.

FUCK YOU CANCER.

Stick in there Mecha. Your a brave man. Our thoughts are with you!

"Way to not give it the power..."

(Sorry, just watched that Archer ep. yesterday... Don't mean any disrespect to cancer victims, in fact I've had that fucker show up around me way too often myself.)

Kick it right in the balls Mecha! We are thinking of you.

I have lost many family members to cancer, two generations above me on my moms side we lost 7 of 8 brothers to cancer. My great aunt, my second uncle (I think, hate trying to figure that shit out) and my Grandma on my Dads side. I also lost a handful of friends, two at very young ages. It's hard to even process at times but the damage this disease causes touches so many. FUCK CANCER!

Fuck you cancer. But recently a larger fuck you to breast and colon cancer. My wife's best friend lost her mother last week to a back and forth battle with breast cancer. I recently lost my aunt to colon cancer. She found out this April and it moved faster and more intense than any of us saw coming. My aunt was an amazing woman and always the life of the party. Even down to the last day she was cracking jokes and making us all feel better for that small moment in time.

Fuck you cancer.

I just lost my aunt who lived downstairs from me, (she was like a mother to me) to ovarian cancer just last Friday. She was strong till the end and Its just setting into my head that she wont be home when I visit my parents house this week. I will add to the Fuck You Cancer chant.

Mother got diagnosed with that shit 4 weeks ago, 3 weeks ago she had surgery (she had a tumor removed), unfortunately she has to go back for a second one on the 24th, and after that apparently she's going to have a couple of sessions of chemotherapy just to be 100% that shit's gone for good, so hopefully everything works out for the best.

I had bowel cancer in 2000, my father has pancreatic cancer now and last year they found a large tumour behind my eye they thought was a brain tumour but it was a big benign tumour on the back of my eye socket close to my brain. In-out zip zap day surgery up the nose 3 weeks back.
Stupid cancer. Got two 3ft scars like Frankenstein.