Counting the days...

[ynkefan08753]

Good morning everyone! Has anyone else besides me think hitting the 5 year mark from diagnosis is cause to celebrate? My mother actually said to me that I should only celebrate from the time I was declared NED and not from diagnosis and that even then I don’t need to “jinx” it. Wrong. I think the fact that I’m still here 5 years after being told I had an incurable cancer is pretty freakin spectacular and I also think my mother, who smokes like a freight train STILL should just zip it 🤐.....don’t you agree? Lol

[ThePurplePlace]

I totally agree and I will be celebrating my fifth year in March. I also go from the day of diagnosis because that's the day my life changed forever.

[Jenniferroseolson in reply to ThePurplePlace]

Agree-from day of diagnosis. 5 years coming up in April!

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

Mom should totally zip it. Clinicians count you as a survivor from the moment you are diagnosed. In the first month or so you’re considered an acute survivor.

Celebrate. Kick your heals up. Happy dance. Enjoy some Bowie!

youtu.be/J0HD76SZH54(Not working as expected?)

[lovey100 in reply to Denzie]

Denzie I went to the dr and he gave me a choice 4 rounds of chemo with keytruda or clinical trial but my markers haven’t done well with shrinking tumors, the are working on one for kras so I’ve decided to do the chemo what do u think, radiation is out

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer in reply to lovey100]

The clinical trial for KRAS doesn’t work on but one variation of the mutation. I think you made a fine choice. Unless you have that variation then they’re finding it does promote progression free survival.

[anrean]

Tell your mother to zip it - you have every right to celebrate reaching that magic time!! Do NOT let her drag you down!! I'm the odd one - I count from the day of last treatment, but that doesn't make either of us wrong! At Roswell we ring the bell on the last day of treatment, so that is where I got my decision to count from the last day.

[JanetteR57]

I agree with you - I work from the date I was diagnosed which was 13/1/10 - definitely 5 years is a milestone. celebrate in whatever way you enjoy best - and keep enjoying life.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer in reply to JanetteR57]

Janette! You have an awesome milestone coming up. Rock it!

[JanetteR57 in reply to Denzie]

oops - I meant 13/1/11 - but 9 years still awesome in my view. I had lobectomy in December 2010 and diagnosis Jan 2011 - every day is a cause for celebration!

[ElmerFudd314]

Yes they gave me 9 months to live for my nsclc g4 and it’s been 2 years now due to luck, great care at the VA,

[Gillo22]

Why not have two celebrations, you deserve it!

[Hidden]

I completely agree with you ,like you I have reached 5yrs survival since diagnosis and I am delighted to still be here .So celebrate and feel good about it .Maybe because we are experiencing cancer and all its ups and downs ,life is what it is, your Mum just wished you had never had it and that is it .She loves you and cannot escape that like all of us cancer sufferers cancer still looms around us even if its stable for some cancer NED will never happen .Forgive her for smoking its an addiction just like any other .My daughter smokes even though she can see what is happening to me ,it could happen to her ,but she is young and in denial .I never smoked but still got lung cancer .So celebrate and have a good stable year .Diane

[Glouie1]

Your illness. Your life. Celebrate whatever milestones you want to in whatever way you like. Not everyone sees things from your perspective.

I have been celebrating life since the day I had surgery for what everyone thought was lung cancer.

Strangely, at some time, I had had a blood clot in my lung. Cut off blood supply so part of my lung died. Then I developed a severe infection that appeared in all scans to be a tumor.

Later, the pathology report showed that on the exact cut the surgeon made to remove part of my lung and the infection, precancerous cells were found. Now being monitored so if they develop into anything, we will catch it very early.

I have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for. I try to keep that in my heart every day in spite of the pain I have.

I could look at it all very differently and probably some people who know me see things differently than I do. Some think that since I never had cancer, I didn’t dodge a bullet.

Totally a matter of perspective.