What a impressive post. I too have lost 4 friends to cancer (all under 40) and wish I could have spent even more time with them than I had. 

Russ- that is a great reminder of how precious our time with our loved ones is.  My husband's father is battling leukemia and they spend tons of time together.  My grandma passed from cancer and I would drive 50 miles one way, atleast 4 times a week to spend time with her.  I remind my children of how precious time is and how very quickly it passes!

Russ,

I lost my brother this year to kidney cancer...it wittled away at him...

its a long story but ill make this short...basically we lost touch and he was very angry about the way his life was. When i went to oregon this summer to see him, i realised he looked horrible, but i too was mislead, the way he functioned did not appear to be that of a dying man...we took a walk along the Deschutes River and he told me by the end of the summer he would be gone...(this was in June), i dissmissed it too...didnt beleive it because he was getting around well.

He died July 29 2007.. and i am sorry i didnt hear him. 

I lost my mom to cancer last feb my dad found out he had cancer last october.Your right there may not be more time.

You are so right about spending time with loved ones, but it shouldn't wait until they are sick. Family and friends should be the most part of our lives. Time should be spent with them at every free moment.

Russ, you are absolutly right, one never knows and it is better to not let time waste with any diagnosis. My mother died of throat cancer and the Dr.'s were positive to the very end.

The older we get the more that cancer has an effect on our lives. I have gone through almost the same trials as you. My great-grand mother, my grandmother and sister die of cancer. My mother has had cancer two time, and I have had many friends, a brotherinlaw and classmates who have died of cancer. Just last year I lost five and the year before seven. This year already one friend has passed. I know now that life is short and we must make the best of it. We only go through this life once and there are more valleys than hilltops. I am just going to stay positive and take it one day at a time.

Russ, this was a very heart warming post. Thanks for sharing. All the best out of Syracuse NY. John Disque

Russ,

My Dad passed away December 23rd 1983. We battled the cancer fight together for 6 months. But the time we spent together were the best of 30 years as father and son. Whether we were in the hospital, home or when he was up to it outdoors in the canoe, fishing or hunting, each moment was and now is a treasured memory. We lived each day in joy, in the anticipation of seeing each other again, and not missing a beat. All our lives, we should desire to be with and help others as if tomorrow may not be there.

THANK YOU!!!!   I NEED TO GO VISIT SOMEONE THIS WEEK END!!!

Cancer can be stopped.  Throughout 2007 I dealt with breast cancer.  I did tons of reserach on cancer and found that nutrition plays a huge, very huge, part in whether or not cancer thrives in the human body.  There are many unfortunate sad times that by the time a cancer is diagnosed, it is at a stage too far gone to treat but there are many times when the doctor should encourage, even prescribe, changes to the cancer victim's diet.  Nutrition is a huge factor.

The high incidence of fatal cancers can be linked back to the preservatives and pesticides and antibiotics and growth hormones, etc etc.  I have integrated more organic and non-preservative type food into my family's menu and can actually feel the difference.

My husband doesn't have headaches so frequently like he used to.  My daughter feels more energetic and I've lost 15 pounds!  Just from eating right.

Did you know that women with a propensity for breast cancer should not eat bacon or drink coffee?  That hydration is vital to help your healthy cells ward off cancer cells?  That 1 or 2g of Vitamin C is recomended on a daily basis & while the cancer is present, as much as 5g a day is helpful.  Vit C will also speed recovery from surgery. 

Facts, proven facts about nutrition and vitamins, are out there but the doctors won't offer the info.  If it isn't a drug, then they don't tout it.  When asked about nutrition, my oncologist actually said "Nah, nutrition doesn't make a difference" - I couldn't believe my ears.  I changed oncologists.

Russ is absolutely right about being with loved ones - cancer or no cancer - but cancer has a way of affecting your hearing:  you hear what you WANT to hear.