I have in my right hand, direct from my home office, today’s category: Top ten great things about having cancer:
10. It’s a great excuse to get out of work. “Sorry, I can’t help with VBS. I’m having radiation for prostate cancer.” (One editor actually offered to delay a deadline if I didn’t feel up to writing.)
9. You find out just how many friends you have. I’ve been completely overwhelmed with the e-mails expressing love and promising that I am being prayed for daily. Thank you!
8. It puts life in perspective. My doctor keeps assuring me “This isn’t life-threatening,” but the awareness that 35,000 men do die of prostate cancer every year does tend to make you evaluate the priorities of your life.
7. Uh . . . well . . . ah . . . I guess there are only three. I haven’t gotten into the third and fourth weeks of radiation when the potential side-effects kick in: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, . . . (well, that’s probably all you want to know).
I am grateful that a) it was found early, b) the high-tech Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy facility is just three minutes from our home and c) there’s a 92-98 percent chance of complete success. I’ll have 42 treatments which should wrap up by the middle of August.
So, right now, I feel great physically and emotionally. I’ll let you know how it goes in three or four weeks. And, thanks again for your emails and prayers!
P.S. Several have commented that I haven’t lost my sense of humor. I do hope it’s the last sense to go. We’ll see if, after week four, I’ll have a top ten list of the great things about diarrhea.
8 Comments
June 19, 2008 at 8:19 am
Other benefits have having cancer:
#4 You discover that prayer really does work in strengthening your outlook on life.
#5 You chnage your lifestyle so that you exercise more and eat healthier.
#6 You appreciate the fact that since you have grandkids, a part of you will go on living, no matter WHEN you die. You’ve become immortal. Cool!
#7 Even when you pull through the cancer scare, you still remain more sensitive to others who are fighting ailments, and it makes you kinder and more patient.
#8 It gives you new material when writing devotions.
#9 It forces you to face your limitations, so you suddenly realize that “the basics,” such as a will, a living will, trusts, and burial arrangements DO NEED to be dealt with.
#10 You are less hesitant to throw away those appeals for donations to heart studies, medical advances, and cancer research.
June 19, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Jim ,your courage and sense of humor are inspiring! We will be praying.
June 20, 2008 at 3:41 am
Thinking of you , and surrounding Lois and you with our prayers. Many ladies from our church cirlce have your name on their prayer list. We love you both. Couisn Dee Dee.
June 21, 2008 at 8:32 am
James chapter five says, “The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.” Well, you’ve got about a zillion people praying for you, some of them even righteous! :-)
Praying, hoping, expecting to hear of a terrific outcome.
–Renae B.
June 25, 2008 at 1:10 am
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June 30, 2008 at 4:09 pm
So sorry to hear about you and Lois’ medical issues. I will pray for you. I was checking out your site because Jim and I are trying to publish a manuscript ,and I want to do more writing. Thanks for a great site for resources. Will take all the help I can get.
July 9, 2008 at 10:46 am
You are such a great model for us all… many of us male readres also have prostate cancer–we just don’t know it yet.
July 9, 2008 at 11:02 am
Hi, Jim,
Just want you to know I’m praying. I’ve had radiation a couple of times now and haven’t thrown up or even gotten nauseated from the treatments (chemo’s a different story, of course), so maybe you’ll escape that side effect, too!
Hang in there. Hope to see you back at conferences, etc., very soon. . .
Shirley