Fear – the dreaded words “You have cancer.” Author Pia Manning @piamanning3 #RLFblog #CancerAwareness #Authors
All my fears – of surgery, radiation, chemo, puking my guts out on a daily basis, losing every hair on my body, and dying – every one of them walked into the exam room right along with the guy in the white coat.
And then he uttered those words we all dread hearing: “You have cancer.”
The world, your world, stops.
I know this from personal experience as both myself, my husband and several other family members have heard those words. I’m not sure anyone can say they don’t know someone who has been touched by cancer.
Sure, we try to reduce our risk factors – quit smoking, lessen alcohol consumption, eat right, and exercise – you’ve probably heard this before. Unfortunately, there are factors that simply cannot be minimized. Everyone ages. Family history based on genetics can be a harbinger of future disasters waiting to happen.
That’s scary as hell.
One way to combat the risks associated with aging, lifestyle risks, and genetics is through early detection. No one (that I know of anyway) wants a colonoscopy or a pap smear, but the exams find cancer in its early stages. Other tests are simple blood draws, like the PSA (Prostate-specific Antigen) test, which measures a protein associated with prostate cancer.
The love of my life celebrated his thirteenth cancer-free year because a PSA test found his disease before it spread.
For women, a mammogram is the best way to protect themselves against dying of breast cancer. Caught early, breast cancer is highly curable. I have been cancer free for fifteen years.
This does not mean that I worry any less when the mammogram reminder pops up on the calendar every year. A parade of ‘what ifs’ prances through my head. Should I cancel this year’s test? After all, I can’t feel any lumps – not that I felt my tumor fifteen years ago. Neither could the surgeon. And there it is. The reason I need to make that appointment. I shove the fear aside and call.
In the years post-diagnosis, My husband and I have experienced the joy of watching our children fall in love and had the pleasure of welcoming their wonderful spouses to our family. We’ve played with our grandchildren. Hugged each other. There have been countless joyful experiences that, but for our screening tests, we might not have had.
Isn’t that reason enough to pick up your phone?
P.S. Still scared? That’s okay. If you’d like to talk about it, email me: at piamanning@yahoo.com. Or contact me through my website at: www.piamanning.com
Pia Manning Social Media
I live in the northwoods territory of Wisconsin with my spousal unit, Blondie girl, and three spoiled felines. When not writing, I can be found dog walking, reading, playing Clash of Clans or crocheting.
Twitter https://twitter.com/piamanning3
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