+ RIP Kevin + It's a tragic irony that a man of relatively young age and great conscience of his own health would miss early detection, and succumb to the third most common cancer in USA. An inevitable question is did any of those regular physical exams he underwent include colonoscopy and FOBT (Fecal Occult Blood Test)? If not, why not? Even if he never thought he'd have colon cancer, did his primary doctor bother to advise him on the prevalence and seriousness of colon cancer ?
I'm not really sure of nature of all of his regular checkups other than what I stated above. From what I understand, and from what his ex-wife told me, this was not truly colon cancer. It started in that region, and that's why they are calling it by that name. But evidently this was the type of cancer you get from being exposed to, for example, a high dose of radiation or from something you inhale, or some other intake. I am no doctor, so I don't really fully understand this myself. But that is what I was told based on what several doctors told them. They also told them that it probably spread very rapidly. That's really all I know.
Sorry HOOP-T. Praying for his family. Hearing stories like this really make our everyday "problems" seem pretty miniscule in comparison. My friend's wife has had some problems. She went to have some cancer removed earlier this year and everything went fine. 100% recovery. She went to her 3 month checkup and everything was fine. 6 month checkup, fine. 9 month checkup, it was back and worse than before. Now, he has had to sell his house and quit his job to be able to support her around the clock. Again, it makes me feel pretty stupid for complaining about traffic in the morning or silly "problems" at work.
I will pray for the family. RIP Kevin. Stuff like this really makes you appreciate things taken for granted sometimes.
RIP Kevin. Your family will be in my prayers. HOOP-T, sorry for the loss of your friend. Stay strong, buddy. This makes me even more grateful for the fences that were mended in my family this past weekend.
HOOP T- You are all in our prayers. If you or any of the family members are interested, you can find some really good support groups, counseling, etc. at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/COM/COM_0.asp
Sorry for the loss. He'll be in my prayers. It's scary that it can strike like that. I hear you. I was having a conversation with a guy who I see on a monthly basis here at work and we spoke about this same topic. He said that anything can happen at anytime and that he could just leave here and die. It's all in God's hands. Sadly, he suddenly and misteriously passed away last week I am still freaked out about the convo we had and then what happened. Now I always pray for my parents and family's protection b/c you never know.
Very sorry for your loss. A good friend of ours just died from cancer as well. He had Ulcerative Colitis for over ten years and developed colon cancer. By the time they caught it and removed his colon, the cancer had spread too much to control. He was 34. Had a wife and two beautiful daughters. We miss you, Steve. God bless.
Feel your pain.....I lost my grandfather to cancer last week It feels a little better to know they are no longer suffering. Its hard to watch them over time. It just gets worse and worse.
Well said. Sorry for your loss, Hoop. I have a similar story to Mulder's. My friend died at 36, leaving behind a wife and two kids. He died the week of his son's first birthday...about six weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. Got to be thankful everyday....and keep our problems in perspective...
HOOP, My sincerest condolences to you and Kevin's family. That is such a sad story. And what was said about living each day to the fullest is so true. I found out yesterday about another tragedy that happened like 15 miles away from my small town. A girl I went to school with (she was a year behind me), her older brother (he was 37) was killed by a truck in a car accident. I didn't know her brother, other than his name and the fact that everyone who knew him considered him to be a good person. However, to make this story even more tragic, his wife is pregnant with their 3rd child. You just never know when God feels your time is up. RIP, Kevin and Brian +++
Not to make this thread political, it was nearly 34 years ago (Dec. 23, 1971) President Nixon declared "War on Cancer" by signing the National Cancer Act into law. A Nov 2001 figure showed despite the progresses being made, more than 12 million Americans had since died from the disease. The government had spent more than $45 billion on cancer research. But while medical science has conquered other diseases, "the big C" is still very much with us. Yearly, 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer and 540,500 die. That's about 1,500 people a day, 45,000 a month. Half the men and one-third of the women in America will develop cancer. One-fourth of all Americans will die from cancer. The overall death rate from cancer was as high in 2001 as it had been 30 years ago -- roughly 200 deaths per 100,000 population. Within the next 10 to 15 years, unless there is a dramatic medical breakthrough, cancer will become the leading cause of death in America, overtaking heart disease.
HOOP, Condolences, man. My mom had problems with early stages of cancer several years ago...she's had regular checkups since, seemed to have got past it but recently has had more concerns. Hopefully it isn't anything big and can get it taken care of again. I understand the words of wisdom you've included here.
