Jul 19, 2011

Cancer is Cancer No Matter What Type You Have

July 19, 2011 By 11 Comments

Last year when I was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer I was told this “If you are going to have cancer, this is the best kind to have.”  There are many problems with this statement for me. However, I have learned one thing that cancer is cancer, no matter what type you have!

 

From the Breast Cancer 5K in June

Back in June, I took part in my first 5K. I was honored by my friends for my fight with thyroid cancer. However, I was a little taken back about it because the 5K was for breast cancer not thyroid or even cancer in general. It felt kind of weird to have it in honor of me. I was still grateful for their love for a friend they just met last year. This is one reason I had trouble saying I will participate. I know breast cancer is growing rapidly. I actually have family and friends that have had issues with breast cancer or scares. The problem I have with this whole cancer thing is that my type of cancer is growing rapidly and killing people too. It’s just not in the news, yet.

 

I had to put in my head that cancer is cancer no matter what kind you have!

 

Quite honestly, I was jealous. I was jealous that my cancer was not a big deal in the public eye, when it’s such a big deal to me and my family. I want the world to know that my cancer is deadly too. That my cancer is absolutely important and my cancer fight is just as scary as any other cancer. As my post last week shows, my journey is still continuing.

 

The statement that my cancer is the one to have if I’m going to have cancer, means nothing to me. It only angers me. I will be fighting this for the rest of my life. My family has been affected. My children will now have to write on their medical forms that their Mom has cancer and they will most likely be tested occasionally as well. They now have the same scare for the rest of their lives. This whole statement made me feel like I should not be sharing how I feel about it because they made it sound like it was not a big deal. I struggled for at least 9 months now with allowing myself to feel all the emotions of cancer. All because of a statement all doctors use when it comes to thyroid cancer.

 

Any cancer is scary. Any cancer can kill you. All cancers give the person and their families the same emotions. And, we all continue to fight every single day.

 

I have now learned cancer is cancer no matter what type you have!! It has taken me a long time to accept this very thing and to realize we are all in this together! I am NOT alone.

Just being bona fide,

Chele

Filed Under: Cancer, Family, Life Tagged With: , , ,
  • Melissa

    I had cervical cancer in 2001 and it was very scary for my husband, kids and myself.  thankfully, cured by surgery and check-ups {where I held my breath} every three months, then six months, and now back to just once a year {where I still hold my breath} I understand what you are saying for sure.  The C word is ugly and scary for anyone going through it. Any cancer can be fatal if not caught and treated in time.
    Praying for you as you continue your fight!

    • http://www.thebonafidelife.net Chele

      Yes I had pre-cancer cells on my cervix in 1995. Had leep surgery and had to be checked just like that for years. To this day, every time I have a pap smear… I’m holding my breath. But because it was pre-cancer it was not taken as I had cancer. I just almost did. However, with the statement the doctors use about Thyroid cancer, I struggled with with my emotions, sharing and feeling like an outsider. I didn’t realize this until very recently, that it was all because of the statement they used…. I struggled. Didn’t feel worthy to say I have cancer. But I do and I deal with the same emotions, tests, etc that anyone with cancer does. And yes until the end of my days on earth, only because of the specific type of thyroid cancer I have, I could die from it. It is a type that can move throughout your body. I am hopeful but I still feel my cancer is nothing different then the next person’s cancer. So I just wish they would stop using that statement to Thyroid Cancer patients! Thanks so much for your support and encouragement Melissa! xoxo

  • http://twitter.com/MamaDweeb Annie Shultz

    What a powerful story! Thank you for sharing so honestly Chele. I hate that people make your pain and struggles seem less real, less scary.

    • http://www.thebonafidelife.net Chele

      Thanks Annie! xoxo

  • http://brainfoggles.com/ ConnieFoggles

    Chele, some medical professionals don’t get it. If anything like thyroid cancer happened to them or a loved one, they wouldn’t think that is the best cancer to get. Thanks for sharing your story and for advocating for other people with thyroid cancer or any type of cancer.

    • http://www.thebonafidelife.net Chele

      Thanks so much Connie…. xoxo

  • Anonymous

    I hated that sentence too…like it belittled that I felt scared about the “cancer” word, and that I should suck it up because I got the “good kind.” There is no “best kind of cancer,” and I wish the medical professionals would stick to “easily treatable” or something else instead. Yes, I consider myself lucky that I did not have to go through chemo or radiation because removing the thyroid took care of it…but we’ll both be dealing with it for the rest of our lives through frequent doctor visits and a daily little pill. Great post. :)

    • http://www.thebonafidelife.net Chele

      Exactly how I feel!! Love ya Jenny! Thank you! :)

  • http://getalonghome.com/ GAHCindy

    Ever get the feeling that breast cancer gets such an outsized amount of attention is because boobs are sexy, whereas thyroids are just kinda ugly things on your throat? Drives me nuts, actually. Like people having any other kind of cancer aren’t really as sick?

    • http://www.thebonafidelife.net Chele

      Yes always have that feeling. I’m glad I’m not the only one. :) I have family and friends that have dealt with breast cancer and yes it’s sad but all cancer is sad. Thanks so much Cindy! xoxo

  • Mmillr4342

    I have prostate cancer and was told that if you have to have cancer this is perhaps a better one to have…too. Doesnt matter, I have little or no symptoms from the cancer (it is under control with hormone therapy) but emotionally it has at times been…difficult. Like having the Sword of Damocles hanging over my head. there are a lot of things that dont make sense, why all my friends stayed my friends, why my community reached out to me repeatedly and why the one person who admitted to not being able to handle it couldnt. that prostate cancer is not one of the “publicly attractive” cancers is a fact. I wish there were more focus on it, as well as ALL other cancers.
    wishing you the best
    martin miller