Thought I'd add a post to this thread.
Cancer is affecting someone in my life currently. Incredibly sad story that does make me fill up when I think of them.
Someone I'd describe as one of my best mates. His missus is suffering breast cancer and secondary bone cancer. Its essentially now a task of making her life as long as possible to enable her to see as much of her daughters life as possible.
I met this chap years ago. He started working at my place.
As a couple, him and his missus were unable to have children so whilst going through course after course of ivf to try and have a child they started adopting children in need of short term care.
Finally got pregnant about 5 years ago. Brilliant news and they had a daughter! Fair to say, that the daughter is about as spolit as its possible for a child to be lol
She was first diagnosed with breast cancer, 1st April, 2010. She was treated with radiotherapy and a Mastectomy to remove the cancer and was in remission towards the backend of the year.
Next couple of checks were fine after xmas but following that, something was detected in her spine during a ct scan. An mri scan was quickly sorted and she was again diagnosed with scondary breast cancer in her spine exactly a year to the day later from the initial diagnosis.
I was completely gutted for him. He knew it was coming, almost like a self for-filling prophesy. The cancer is treatable with drugs to stop its spread and is not yet terminal but it is just a matter of time. Must be total agony to deal with that. Seriously, being a family of similar age with young kids, I have no idea how someone deals with it. But the way that they do, astounds me. Bravest couple of people I have ever met.
She's had 2 or 3 surgeries to try to strengthen her spine with braces to join the healthy vertebrae together and bypass the areas that have crumbled, the courses of drugs to hold it back. She struggles to get up in the morning and move around. There's always the possibility that at any moment she will end up with paralysis as the vertebrae give up the ghost.
Its now about living as much as they can. Each birthday that passes, each special day, 1st day at school. That sort of thing.
My missus and I have nothing but admiration for them. Its amazing how strong people can be.
Thought I would update this as things have moved along rapidly.
She became quite ill about 6-8 weeks ago with difficulty breathing, and being unable to keep any food down and just generally very ill. Deteriorated rapidly and was admitted to hospital to try and sort the sickness out as it was believed possibly, that the combination of drugs was making her ill. They wasnt able to improve things and a scan showed something on her lungs. As the cancer hadnt spread from the bones to anywhere else, they tried to think positively about it and hoped that it was perhaps Pneumonia or some kind of chest infection. A biopsy earlier on this week has revealed that it is lung cancer. She has been released from hospital and sent home for palliative care. My friend has been told that he shouldnt hope for anymore than 2 months.
My Missus and I have offered to look after their daughter, if they need us to, whatever time but there's not alot else we can do but just be there.
Totally gutted for them all, especially their little girl. Its heart breaking.
Obviously there is not alot that can be done when all is said and done but hospital appear to have taken a massive amount of time in coming to this conclusion. Seems odd that it took 6 weeks when they obviously knew her history. Perhaps they knew along. I dunno.
