For the newly diagnosed and those needing trea... - CLL Support

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For the newly diagnosed and those needing treatment

AussieNeil profile image
AussieNeilAdministrator
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Rebecca Bechhold, MD has just blogged on the Cancer Network about the different and all equally right approaches of approaching cancer treatment. While written for medicos, it is still a relevant read for those of us facing treatment:

cancernetwork.com/blog/nobo...

(Free membership)

"My point is that each person facing cancer has their own way of coping. They have no obligation to fit a stereotype that others may have conjured up. They are each the poster child of their own unique campaign. Every situation is different, and no one should force them to take on a role they don’t want. Support, advice, encouragement are essential to every patient as long as it is tailored to their personality and scenario."

And for those newly diagnosed, or even those that have been living with CLL for some time, but are again battling the worry of reduced life expectancy, it is hard to outdo this message:

The Median Isn't the Message by Stephen Jay Gould

stat.berkeley.edu/~rice/Sta...

cancerguide.org/median_not_... (postscript)

YouTube :youtu.be/cH6XuiOBbkc

My thanks to Chris (Cllcanada) for finding the above references to "The Median isn't the Message" for me.

Neil

Photo: Spring is only a month away and the wattles are beginning to bloom. This particular variety "Spiny Wattle" or Acacia Spinescens is not a bush you like to back into when photographing something else - look at those leaves!! (My thanks to Jay for identifying this Australian native from the opposite end of the Earth.)

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Kwenda profile image
Kwenda

The Blog by Rebecca Bechhold, MD on the Cancer Network is well written and applies to all who read these pages.

As you point out Neil the basic thrust of her blog being this sentence..

' My point is that each person facing cancer has their own way of coping. They have no obligation to fit a stereotype that others may have conjured up. '

I had a large family meeting yesterday and for the first time not a single person asked ' How are you now '.

Were they scared to ask, or have they all now become accustomed to the knowledge of my cancer diagnosis and so it is old news.?

Frankly I am happy that nobody asked about my health, there were much more pleasant topics of conversation ...

Dick

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