Being diagnosed with cancer, or having a child diagnosed in our case, can feel like a very lonely place. In your own little world it becomes all consuming. Every year over 12 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 7.6 million die of the disease. That is alarming! As I look at those numbers, there is nothing "lonely" about that at all. But, I wouldn't say it is comforting either.
So many people are affected by this disease all around the world. If you have not been directly affected, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that it won't affect you. You are too well off or too poor. You are too well educated or lack education. You come from a certain culture, background, community, race, the list goes on and on. The facts are, cancer doesn't care about any of that.
For us, we were a good Christian couple with a healthy 3 year old and 1 year old. We were both well educated, doing well for ourselves, and doing things "right". It didn't matter. On the cancer floor we met people who lived similar lives to ours. For them, it didn't matter either. We met people that were polar opposites of us as well. It didn't matter for them either. During treatment I had a drink with a long time friend and he told me "I have done a lot of crazy stuff in my life and I ask myself 'Why didn't this happen to me?'" Luckily for him it didn't! But, if cancer comes calling, whatever he has done earlier in his life isn't going to impact whether cancer comes comes or not.
It is natural for us to try and make sense of the things that happen in our lives. Trying to do this has been a goal of mine for the past several years. I have learned to accept more over that time, but I haven't gained an inch in making sense of it. The disease has permeated all of society and not just here in the US, not just your city, your age group, your social circle, or your family. It is truly amazing how many people are affected.
One of the more frustrating things we experienced during Elise's treatment was simply how little was known about the disease. Cancer isn't new! Billions of dollars are spent every year on research, yet still more than half of all people diagnosed with the disease will ultimately die from it. That is alarming! One of my greatest prayers for our society is that we can find a cure for this horrible disease. For those that are still fighting the fight, I hope that answers to those prayers come as quickly as possible. For now, I continue to pray for them and know that one day a world will exist where cancer is not a part of it. I just hope that happens in my lifetime. Next week or so would be even better!
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