As of this writing, GF and her family is so sad to loss their dear friend and good neighbor. He - let's call him Ped - is diagnosed to have Osteosarcoma (cancer in the bones).
Last Saturday (10th of September) while me and GF are having our usual phone call, she stopped me from talking for she is hearing a kind of commotion outside her room (at their gate to be exact) then she said "pls call later, there is some kind of emergency".
After about 30 minutes of waiting I called her up and she said that their neighbor asked her dad to rush Ped in the hospital. Ped is having difficulty in breathing. Then our call continued with a different topic. After about an hour or more, we heard the their landline phone ringing. She did not answered it but her mom called her up. GF entertained the call but she forgot to end our call so I patiently waited. I don't totally understand their dialect (visayan) but at some point I did understand some words and I want to end our call but I did not when GF said goodbye to the landline caller. As soon as she said hello to me, I just said "sorry for what I heard". GF confirmed to me Ped's death.
In our family, one of my uncle (my mother's brother) is taken away to us by Leukemia (cancer of blood and bone marrow) and one of my uncle (my mother's brother-in-law) SURVIVED cancer (we forgot what was it, as of this writing, my cousins haven't replied our query)
What do I know about cancer? I admit, I am not a medical practitioner but here are some of my ideas that I do know about Cancer.
Our body is made up of millions of cells. Our organs is a group of common cells, example skin cells form our skin. When a cell became different to their group, that cell can be cancerous. when that cell mutates and multiplies it will became a lump. So that's the first sign of cancer - the Lump. If we feel some lumps or swelling in our body like in our chest, skin and bones, refer it to a medical practitioner immediately. Some lumps and swelling is far visible in our eyes and touch specially if those occurred internally. Thus if we feel something bad inside us that cant be explained, seek medical advice immediately. Some Lumps can become tumors and Some tumors will lead to Cancer.
What causes cancer is substances that is classified as Carcinogenic. So lets limit (if not avoidable) these substances. many of these classified as carcinogenic are all harmful chemicals. Some are not harmful at first (like food and drinks) BUT if abused and taken in excessive amounts and in long periods of time, it can lead to cancer. X-ray, CT scan, MRI, Blood Test and biopsy are just to name a few to diagnose tumor and/or cancer.
How to survive cancer? Just stick to all medical advises. To name a few, you might undergo surgery, gamma knife, chemotherapy, cobalt therapy and drugs (intravenously and/or oral pills).The most powerful weapon against cancer is faithful prayer. For it was written "its your faith that healed you".
For me "big C" is not cancer, its Christ! If you are not a Christian, let me revise it. "big C" is not cancer but the Creator. If he created all things, He can create a way for us to combat cancer. Together with our Creator, church and community, cancer is just a piece of meat.
Blogger Ms.Steffie of "life and fever" is having a “Charity Blogging for Cancer Awareness”. She is also telling us that there will be a a whole-day event for cancer patients and survivors is to be held this December. The event will include contests, freebies, inspirational talks, and performances. Donations are accepted and may be forwarded via PayPal to doc_alma_jones (at) yahoo (dot) com.
