Dying of other cancer...

[Jackie07]

I've been feeling so sad about my college basketball teammate who'd been moved to hospice a couple of days ago after a complete hysterectomy early October when cervical cancer was confirmed. She's only 50 going 51 late this month.

She had confused the signs of discomfort with 'menopause' and the stress from caring for her 80+-year-old Mother who'd been diagnosed with colon cancer three years ago. She moved out a year ago and lived by herself while teaching full-load in the university as a Biology professor (had received her Ph.D from MIT in the 80's). Cervical cancer is usually silent...

After the hysterectomy, she's only able to endure one round of chemo and radiation to each of the three spots on her bones. She's also been suffering from liver mets... [I see now the wisdom of doing chemo before surgery. Angiogenesis tends to cause cancer cells to spread...]

Her father had died at a fairly young age (60?)

I just wanted to remind everyone that there are other cancers out there that are deadly! Take actions (genetic testing, prophylactic hysterectomy/oophorectomy/cervix removal...) and pay close attention to your health. Cancer develops because our own cells fail to regulate the growth. One of my doctors (a neurosurgeon) had told me that "People who have one type of cancer are more likely to have another type of cancer..."

She's a year behind me and we'd been on the same team since high school... She'd also lettered in track (long jump and relays) thus her nick name: 'Monkey' (='Houtzu' - similar to the pronunciation of her last name 'Hou'.)