Re: a stranger to me/to Len

[Guest guest]

Len:

I am shocked that you refer to yourself as " terminal " . If you are terminal

then so am I and many others on this board. I also have metastatic colon

cancer (stage 4) with lymphs, gall bladder, appendix and liver with tumors. I

know how serious this is but you are one of the few (maybe 8%) with this stage

of disease that has already beaten the odds. That is, you have already

outlived 92 out of 100 people who were diagnosed with stage 4 at the time of

your

diagnosis. You are one of the lucky 8 in 100 who lived to 5 years from

diagnosis, right? Aren't you over 5 years out? That is what is called a

SURVIVOR. You are one of the lucky miracles. We all hope to make it to 5

years but

that doesn't make us " terminal. " Terminal is when we are in the process of

actually dying and there are no more chemo treatments, etc to be offered.

You are being treated and you have responded well.

By the way, all of us are going to die and many of our friends and family

members who do not have this disease may even die before us. No one has any

guarantee of another day. All any of us has is the moment, no past and no

future. A truck could hit us tomorrow and cancer will never have the

opportunity

to take us. What is important is how we live out lives and what good we do

while we are here. I am going to make the most of it and pray that I will be

healthy enough for my son's Bar Mitzvah on August 19, 2006. That is my

greatest hope.

Love,

patricia

In a message dated 12/9/2005 5:28:49 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,

luvmydane3@... writes:

I agree with you ......I have stage iv myself and am surviving

it and I refuse to give in to this awful diseasae.

Sue

> Len,

>

> I have stage iv cancer but prefer not to think of it

as " terminal. " I know it probably will be but there are new drugs

being developed all the time, and survival times are greater than

they were just a few years ago. I'm a survivor and intend to be one

for as long as possible. I won't even let the word " terminal " enter

my mind or my vocabulary. I know it's difficult to be positive all

the time, but the subliminal things can get us down the worst because

we don't even know they're there. Consider yourself a survivor,

because that's exactly what you are, and you've probably beaten the

odds and the times they gave you originally. Sounds like a survivor

to me!

>

>

>

> Len Henell <hlen@s...> wrote:

> To Myfaith05

>

> I have terminal cancer and I had a time when I turned

> away from everybody. I thought briefly about suicide

> but decided there was no rush to die. I worry now

> about the people I will leave behind because I don't

> want my death to cause anybody any trouble. My wife

> will be in a money pinch after I die but her parents

> have money and I am sure they will help out. Then I

> decided that the best thing I could do was be a

> pleasant as possible because there were going to be a

> lot of people helping me and I wanted them to know I

> was greatful.

>

> That was a long trip to get through those stages and

> I'm sure your husband is still on his trip to making

> his decision. If I also had ulcerative colitus I

> might tend to shorten the trip some. The good thing

> is that once your are terminal there are no limits to

> what pain killers and other medications your doctor

> can give you so make sure your husband knows that. I

> take 50cc of paxil a day and that helps me overlook

> the mistakes of others.

>

> Please give your husband as many smiles and kisses as

> you can because it won't cost you a lot and it's about

> all he has got left to enjoy.

>

> Good luck.

>

> Len

>

> --- myfaith05 <myfaith05@y...> wrote:

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, That post was WONDERFUL!!!!!! Love, Ingrid

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Nice to hear from you. I am not giving up at all and

won't until the pain is more than I can stand. I am a

designer, builder, repair man, engineer type person

and I understand the problems in my body like an

engineer would. I know the techology of the oncology

people is advancing but I have some rather severe

chalanges. Right now there is no equipment that can

handle my tumors. If I was designing stuff to take

care of them I would estimate a 2 year time frame. I

could easily live 2 years with my present chemo, but

cancer is a fast learner and adapter and it is trying

to out trick the ocologists as we speak.

I had stage 3 cancer in 98 but the surgery and

chemotherapy eliminated it as far as anyone could

tell. Unfortunatly there was a single microscopic

spec of it left alive somewhere and that is what has

re-appeared now. I was cancer free from 98 until

October of 04. Thats over 6 years cancer free. The 5

year deal is not a realistic number. It just is a

convenient place to measure from.

Anyway please don't take me too seriously and I am

sure you will make it well past your August 06 goal.

Take care.

Len

--- brencolinmom@... wrote:

---------------------------------

Len:

I am shocked that you refer to yourself as " terminal " .

If you are terminal

then so am I and many others on this board. I also

have metastatic colon

cancer (stage 4) with lymphs, gall bladder, appendix

and liver with tumors. I

know how serious this is but you are one of the few

(maybe 8%) with this stage

of disease that has already beaten the odds. That is,

you have already

outlived 92 out of 100 people who were diagnosed with

stage 4 at the time of your

diagnosis. You are one of the lucky 8 in 100 who

lived to 5 years from

diagnosis, right? Aren't you over 5 years out? That

is what is called a

SURVIVOR. You are one of the lucky miracles. We all

hope to make it to 5 years but

that doesn't make us " terminal. " Terminal is when we

are in the process of

actually dying and there are no more chemo

treatments, etc to be offered.

You are being treated and you have responded well.

By the way, all of us are going to die and many of our

friends and family

members who do not have this disease may even die

before us. No one has any

guarantee of another day. All any of us has is the

moment, no past and no

future. A truck could hit us tomorrow and cancer will

never have the opportunity

to take us. What is important is how we live out

lives and what good we do

while we are here. I am going to make the most of it

and pray that I will be

healthy enough for my son's Bar Mitzvah on August 19,

2006. That is my

greatest hope.

Love,

patricia

In a message dated 12/9/2005 5:28:49 P.M. Pacific

Standard Time,

luvmydane3@... writes:

I agree with you ......I have stage iv myself

and am surviving

it and I refuse to give in to this awful diseasae.

Sue

> Len,

>

> I have stage iv cancer but prefer not to think of

it

as " terminal. " I know it probably will be but there

are new drugs

being developed all the time, and survival times are

greater than

they were just a few years ago. I'm a survivor and

intend to be one

for as long as possible. I won't even let the word

" terminal " enter

my mind or my vocabulary. I know it's difficult to

be positive all

the time, but the subliminal things can get us down

the worst because

we don't even know they're there. Consider yourself a

survivor,

because that's exactly what you are, and you've

probably beaten the

odds and the times they gave you originally. Sounds

like a survivor

to me!

>

>

>

> Len Henell <hlen@s...> wrote:

> To Myfaith05

>

> I have terminal cancer and I had a time when I

turned

> away from everybody. I thought briefly about

suicide

> but decided there was no rush to die. I worry now

> about the people I will leave behind because I

don't

> want my death to cause anybody any trouble. My

wife

> will be in a money pinch after I die but her parents

> have money and I am sure they will help out. Then

I

> decided that the best thing I could do was be a

> pleasant as possible because there were going to be

a

> lot of people helping me and I wanted them to know

I

> was greatful.

>

> That was a long trip to get through those stages

and

> I'm sure your husband is still on his trip to

making

> his decision. If I also had ulcerative colitus I

> might tend to shorten the trip some. The good

thing

> is that once your are terminal there are no limits

to

> what pain killers and other medications your doctor

> can give you so make sure your husband knows that.

I

> take 50cc of paxil a day and that helps me overlook

> the mistakes of others.

>

> Please give your husband as many smiles and kisses

as

> you can because it won't cost you a lot and it's

about

> all he has got left to enjoy.

>

> Good luck.

>

> Len

>

> --- myfaith05 <myfaith05@y...> wrote:

>

>

>