July 23, 2010

• A nice tumor free summer :D

  Posted by Sammy
  1pm July 23, 2010
  From Home

  Wow its been a long time. I feel like a slacker. It kind of hit me yesterday. I was out on a short ride and realized how much I've stepped away from all things cancer. Sadly I feel like Ive let the things I wanted to do as an advocate for fighting this disease slide as well. I was climbing up a hill in the area and started to think about what this disease has done in our lives, and about all the people we know fighting it now...and the one's we've lost. We have been lucky again. We're blessed with the best hospital in the world to fight cancer and the doctor that knows more about sarcoma than any other. Many of you know we received another clean scan earlier this week! But what about the bigger picture? Names started flying through my brain yesterday...almost with every pedal stroke.

  the memory of laughing with a family friend, who a few weeks later was gone
  people who have received the news we all fear and are trying to have a few good months left
  young survivors who should be looking forward to things in college and instead are tethered to an IV pole
  the little girl decorating a Christmas tree in Houston, bald and weak from the chemo
  my own grandfather who I never got to meet because of this disease

  Were not doing enough. What we are doing isnt good enough. Steph's liver surgeon is piloting a program using gold nanoparticles to seek out and kill cancer cells from the inside out with no side effects. It was highlighted on 60 minutes. They have tried it in experiments in petri dishes on metastatic pancreatic, liver and colon cancer cells. The kill rate was 100%. But were more concerned with where Lebron James is going to play basketball. MD Anderson has a new melanoma therapy that achieved full remission in some stage IV melanoma patients (this is usually considered a terminal condition by the way) and bought quality time for others. Why doesnt that get a prime time special? I know this isnt my usual happy fun we dont have cancer sammy post. Those will be back....soon....probably this weekend. But right now Im angry. Im ready to fight back, or maybe just get back in the fight. I needed a break. I had to step back from it. Because once you are in this fight, you dont shake what you learn or see. You just learn to process and sometimes processing means taking a step back. Playing make believe. You pretend for a little while that you dont know what cancer is like. You pretend life is normal. But every few months you go back into that room and wait for the news. You wait to find out if this new sense of normal youve carved out will get to last. But then something knocks you upside the head and tells you, like Rocky Balboa watching Apollo Creed get clocked by Drago, its time to get back in the ring. Its time to go on the offensive. Im taking my anger out on the hills of eastern Pennsillvania one month from now. But just pedaling wont do it...I can wear all the yellow I want, but the fact is we do it to raise the money to fight and support. Im asking for you to fight with me. Any amount helps. Im well short of my goal....but if everyone that reads this can donate, even just 5 or 10 dollars, think about the difference it will make. Click the link, make a donation, forward it to everyone you know. Please. Lets help put this disease in its place. Im gonna pick a fight. Who's with me?

  http://philly2010.livestrong.org/sammyminge

  Sammy

  • 1:28 pm
  • 2 Comments