Saturday, August 11, 2012


THE  C - WORD. . . . 

G'day JustinO,
 
I watched a story on telly the other night about a bloke who went through the cancer thing like I did. His was throat cancer, similar to mine, but he didn't have the same surgery I did. He could still speak normally, and was interviewed on radio and TV. But he had a stomach tube like mine, and underwent radiation therapy. At the end of the story, he was yet to have a PET scan whereas I had mine a month ago.
 
So there he was getting all this star treatment and I thought, "What the bloody hell's going on here?" Maybe I underestimated the magnitude of my ordeal hehe. I missed out on my 15 minutes of fame! So I went through my old journals and blogs and assembled a page with text and pics of my own battle, and called it The C Word.
 
If any of your Dunes followers are interested in reading my account of what it's like to go through such an ordeal, here's the link. It's not a very long piece - probably take 10 minutes or so.
 
 
Gary

6 comments:

JustinO'Shea said...

THANKS, GARY, for sharing this with us. I think many will be quite interested in reading your Journal.

I know I shall gain from reading your experiences: I shall gain in knowing and understand about the disease and the cure, and what is involved. This will
also mean growth in compassion and understanding the underlying human emotions which are part of such an
illness.

Thanks, Gary.
JustinO

Gary Kelly said...

Thanks JustinO. I wouldn't have thought of it in that context.

JustinO'Shea said...

The photos of you "in in-action", the various torture chambers. . ho ho ho. . .all add to the narrative, with the inclusion of the Sydney Travelog. . . .good "entertainment".

J said...

Nice saga, Gary. Reminds me of how much I hate hospitals.

Gary Kelly said...

"Entertainment?" Yeah, I wonder how great a role the old song and dance man in me played during that saga... the urge to put on a happy face... the show must go on, etc.

Definitely, one of the most interesting aspects of that experience was the people I met, including the bikie gang boss. What an eye-opener his story was.

And the angels, aka the nurses. What wonderful people they are. And not just the blokes. Hehe. See what I mean about the song and dance man? I can't help myself.

JustinO'Shea said...

GARY. . .G'day mate. . .hehe
I think your "song and dance man" is the expression of your healthy determination not to live "in the valley of death" nor to abide 'in the shades of destruction'.

I don't suppose the medical scientists can even begin to measure the degree of influence your "song and dance man" contributes to your healing and recovery from the Big C and its devastating effects. Cancer thrives in negativity, doom and gloom which lead to surrender in body, mind and spirit.

Kudos for your determination and work not to live there! Thus you made the medical work easier