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First, for the general Reader:
Outside of really breast/ovarian cancer, getting most common cancers at a young age is fairly within your control.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/06/upshot/helpless-to-prevent... Pieter doesn't have a common cancer and he's way beyond that stage within stage IV cancer. In general it's really rude to say "fight more" because he's right, what do you think these patients are doing instead, joining the circus?
Fighting isn't a great metaphor. The reason it got introduced was so that Reagan would create the National Cancer Institute, a Division of the NIH. A full page ad was taken out by Mary Lasker and the American Cancer Society to convince him that researching the causes and cures for cancer was a US healthcare priority (and to be frank, at the time, it essentially was) asking him to declare war on cancer in the NY times because the US was in the middle of the cold war. The other thing that the add did (along with the creation of the Jimmy Fund) was it normalized discussions of cancer in the US at that time.
To explain how much of a big deal that ad was, my maternal grandmother died around 1973-1974 of cancer. The ad came out in 1969. My maternal grandfather is only now settling the argument if it was metastasis of her internal breast cancer from when she was younger, new breast cancer that spread to the bones, or a totally new bone cancer, because now we talk about cancer, whereas in 1969 -73 talking about cancer was difficult if not possible. ---- Aa a personal note to Pieter, if he sees this:
1) I'm extraordinarily happy you are doing as well as you are in your end of days and I hope you are enjoying them to your fullest. i hope, for whatever it's worth, you are still experiencing moments of joy too.
2)im slightly concerned as an American about your distrust of marijuna at this stage, especially since it seems like low pain and enjoying food is a high priority for you. In the US, marijuna is partially approved (don't ask) for cancer patients as an appetite stimulant and pain suppressor, and many of the chemicals in it are made synthetically and prescribed to cancer patients for the same purpose. Meanwhile, many opiates are appetite suppressants (that's the other reason behind the Medrol). Since you deserve to enjoy your time and have as many thalis as you want, just think about it. (Again, I'll totally admit that this is a bias of seeing Americans treated)
3)do you need help getting the paperwork done. On a percentage scale, how much is left? How much can be done by volunteers/family/friends? (And I hate asking this, how much is in English, because I'm happy to volunteer, but I'm an English speaker...)
4)thalis. Mmmm. Thalis. |
Paperwork... is just work. I've a complex situation, made worse by some, let's say, recalcitrant spirits. No pity for the dying, in some quarters. The summer months in Belgium are dead, which makes it harder to reach the necessary people. I do appreciate the offer of help though :-)