Talking About Cancer

This will be brief, with more fully-formed thoughts to follow.

Obviously this post is going to be talking about cancer, so if that isn't for you today - please click away.




Statistically speaking I have been lucky in that my encounters with cancer have been few and quite distant. A grandparent, a friend's family member; a few other friends of my wider family.

And so when my best friend from school was suddenly taken ill in late November, it still came as quite a shock.

First it was a mystery illness; then it was a scan result; then it was a lot of uncertainty - the unknown outcome.

Since then there has been a diagnosis of sorts, and - most crucially - a treatment plan.

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But we still don't know if the treatment will be effective; nor what the long-term effects will be. Just what might happen. Or might not.

So for now there is not much to directly talk about; and yet we are now talking more often than we have in the past year or so - because anything that is an excellent distraction from the treatment is a positive.

What it also means is that other parts of my life have had to be re prioritised, and I've had to tell my boss that work is not my top priority.

I've also had to try and learn how to disseminate information at an appropriate rate, level and tone. Which is always going to be a learning experience, but I have hopefully learned quickly enough so far.

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For now that is all I have the energy to talk to. [Coming to the end of a few weeks where I celebrated Christmas and New Year as best I felt able; and also a trip to Bruges with my partner which was a wonderful escape].
But undoubtedly there are more thoughts to be had on this ever developing situation; and a lot more to talk about in future.

For now, hold your loved ones tight, and talk to them about whatever - including everything you least dare talk about.

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