Summer silence

Sometimes, there's not much to say, but I note with surprise how long it is since my last post! Life simply gets in the way from time to time and, despite many cancer-related news stories recently, I haven't felt moved to comment on any of them. I get increasingly tired of reading headlines that tell me, 'Decrease your risk of cancer by doing x' - too late for me, anyway! Then there are the headlines that scream, 'If you do y, you'll increase your risk of cancer by n%'. We all know the obvious risky behaviour, but news reports now focus more and more on practically any aspect of your life; I expect to read soon that getting out of bed in the morning causes cancer, while staying in bed all day will also cause cancer. All these reports focus on how dreadful cancer is, not on the positives - and, as I've said in the past, there are some positives, in spite of everything. Catching the condition early is, of course, important, but if you do, the survival rates have improved dramatically and you have the opportunity to reappraise your life. Cancer certainly makes you review what's important to you, as does surviving any serious illness. I do, though, think I've reached saturation point in relation to the way the press approaches cancer.

What does still touch me, however, is hearing from friends about people I know who have cancer. That reminds me how very lucky I've been; not everyone escapes so lightly and I'm grateful every day that I retained the strength (physically and mentally) to keep on asking for second opinions until my condition was recognised. Sometimes, though, even quick diagnosis and treatment (which isn't what happened to me!) is too slow, and whenever I hear of one of those cases, I remember how fortunate I am and feel grateful to have been diagnosed and successfully treated - and most of all for all the friends I have who supported me and encouraged me to get well again!