Stage 4 lung cancer

[Nemo2]

My mother was in relatively good shape until the last two weeks. She even held up ok through chemo.

My late wife, heading towards her 54th birthday (she never made it) with small cell carcinoma, seemed to be getting better and better, (and I deluded myself into thinking she was going to 'make it')............one day she insisted on going grocery shopping alone......I said "OK, but blow the horn when you get back in the driveway and I'll come collect the bags".

Fat chance.

Bang...she pushed the door open with her foot...because her hands were full with about 6 heavy grocery bags.

Better and better......until the day it was as if she'd stepped off a cliff.

 

[nash031]

My mother-in-law was just diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. This means it has spread outside her lungs, in this case to her bones, liver, glands, and probably her brain. She was being treated for recurring "pneumonia"- now we know that wasn't it. It's incurable, with a 5 year survival rate of a few percent, and a median of 8 months to death. It is so abstract to think about, and then suddenly it happens to your loved one. She is 75 and has always been very healthy.

My dad's diagnosis with pancreatic cancer is what ultimately brought me here. 5-year survival of 5%. He's into year 3 now...

Sister was just diagnosed with colon cancer at age 44. She had the tumor removed and started chemo with a good prognosis on Monday.

Very sorry to hear about your M-I-L... I didn't need another reminder of why ER is a goal of mine, but there are a lot of them out there (unfortunately)!