Am I Really A Cancer Survivor?
If you've read my blog in the last couple of months you know I had surgery for Melanoma. The mole was found in February and removed in April. I'm still a little sore from the procedure but everything is fine.
Since then there have been a few occasions where I've been referred to as a Cancer or Melanoma Survivor. It makes me a little uncomfortable. Actually more than a little.
The Melanoma was less than Stage 1. I know it needed to be removed and sooner rather than later is always a good thing when dealing with this. But I just can't wrap my brain around the thought that I survived anything.
When you reach my age you can't help but know a lot of people who have had Cancer. I can easily come up with 30 friends, relatives or acquaintances that have had some form of the disease. A lot of them have been through many surgeries plus chemo and/or radiation. My survivor tag feels disrespectful compared to their travails.
Last week I watched an NBC Dateline program hosted by Tom Brokaw. It detailed his year fighting Multiple Myeloma. Multiple surgeries. Multiple hospital stays. Multiple meds. He's finally in remission. I had one meeting with a dermatologist and one with my surgeon. My surgery took two hours. Brokaw is a survivor. Me...ehhh...I'm not so sure.
I realize this is not a competition. Even at Stage 1 or less, IT'S STILL CANCER! I certainly am not downplaying Melanoma. I know how dangerous and deadly it can be. Obviously I'm happy it's gone. I guess it's just the one term that freaks me out...and that's on me.
Cancer not only takes a lot out of your body but it fucks with your head, too. My therapist has her work cut out for her this week.
#fuckcancer
There's a connection between Parkinson's Disease and Melanoma. Click the link and find out more.
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