While I have been writing this blog I have come across some really awesome cancer support groups on the internet, which is wonderful for those who are currently going through cancer treatments as well as those who, like myself, have kicked that bad boy's ass. I cannot help but look back to 2003 and wish that there had been easy ways to find support groups like the ones available today.
The first time I was diagnosed with leukemia I always felt so isolated because not only was it hard to have visitors to make sure that they would not accidentally get me sick but also because I was a couple hours away from my family and friends. Since my friends and I were in our first year of college there was always something going on and life was busy. Thus there was not a whole lot of time to drive down to visit me for a few short minutes, although when my friends and family did visit it always made the day and the next few days easier.
It was not as easy to stay in touch with friends and family like today. Facebook had not been created yet. That one easy spot to go to and talk to all of your friends and family in one easy place did not exist in that time. For those of you who rely on facebook to keep in contact with everyone today or even just to waste some down time when you are bored, think about what it would be like to be stuck in a hospital for weeks at a time without that one simple website... Fortunately facebook came along in 2004 so that by the time I relapsed and was about to spend a longer stent of time in and out of a hospital I had that resource to help keep in touch with others in addition to a Caring Bridge website blog.
The easiest and almost only way to talk to someone who was not able to visit or not around at the time was via the phone in my room. Skype had not been created yet either and you all know that since Google Hangouts is fairly new that it was not an option either.
What about a cell phone? I had one of those monsters back then. However, they were not allowed to be on in the unit and since I was always in the unit I could never have it on. What would you do today if you were not able to have that cell phone by you? You wouldn't be able to play Candy Crush!!!!! What if someone texted you?!?! The horror!
Crazy, huh? Hard to think about?
It was hard to find people that could understand what you were really going through, especially since in 2003 people did not seem to want to talk about their cancer very openly, which made it difficult to know who you could talk to who could really understand. Even for myself, it took me a couple years to be able to feel even slightly comfortable talking about my experience, mostly because a lot of the things that happened were still a little foggy and it took time for all those memories to come back, and still today some of them are still lost, which in the long run may be for the best. That is at least what my mom continues to tell me. I cannot imagine being her and seeing someone go through half the things that occurred over the years after finding out that the sudden and sever hip pain was leukemia. Then to watch as I almost died due to complications many times. In one of the other posts that I am currently working on I talk about how important my mom was and still is throughout everything and how she was the rock and strength through all the difficult times and my main pillar of support.
My doctors and other health care providers recommended that I talk to a therapist about everything but I did not know how that could help. How are they suppose to know how I feel if they have not experienced life with cancer before? Even fellow cancer patients might not understand everything that someone else is going through since even the same cancer and treatment can vary depending on the individual. Also, each person has a different outlook on the events in their life.
The first year after finishing chemo I did not think that I should be able to complain about how hard everything was and still seemed to be because I didn't lose any part of my body or any motor functions like others that have had cancer. Thus, when the time came for me to ask for a wish through an organization for young adults that is similar to the Make a Wish foundation I wasn't sure I deserved it and had a hard time asking my doctors to sign a form stating that I did indeed deserve a wish of my choosing (within reason and within the continental US). However, now I realize that anyone that has to work that hard to survive and deal with all the things that cancer brings to the table, they do indeed deserve to celebrate somehow.
Technology has come a long way over the years since my first diagnosis and those battling this disease now know that it is still no picnic, but maybe it is just a little easier knowing that finding support groups that you can meet fellow cancer survivors and those going through treatments and chat with them through google hangouts or skype and build up an internet support system is available compared to 2003 when those thing did not exist.
Even today I still wonder how people find some of the groups that they talk about. I must not be looking in the right places or using the right keywords.
The first time I was diagnosed with leukemia I always felt so isolated because not only was it hard to have visitors to make sure that they would not accidentally get me sick but also because I was a couple hours away from my family and friends. Since my friends and I were in our first year of college there was always something going on and life was busy. Thus there was not a whole lot of time to drive down to visit me for a few short minutes, although when my friends and family did visit it always made the day and the next few days easier.
It was not as easy to stay in touch with friends and family like today. Facebook had not been created yet. That one easy spot to go to and talk to all of your friends and family in one easy place did not exist in that time. For those of you who rely on facebook to keep in contact with everyone today or even just to waste some down time when you are bored, think about what it would be like to be stuck in a hospital for weeks at a time without that one simple website... Fortunately facebook came along in 2004 so that by the time I relapsed and was about to spend a longer stent of time in and out of a hospital I had that resource to help keep in touch with others in addition to a Caring Bridge website blog.
The easiest and almost only way to talk to someone who was not able to visit or not around at the time was via the phone in my room. Skype had not been created yet either and you all know that since Google Hangouts is fairly new that it was not an option either.
What about a cell phone? I had one of those monsters back then. However, they were not allowed to be on in the unit and since I was always in the unit I could never have it on. What would you do today if you were not able to have that cell phone by you? You wouldn't be able to play Candy Crush!!!!! What if someone texted you?!?! The horror!
Crazy, huh? Hard to think about?
It was hard to find people that could understand what you were really going through, especially since in 2003 people did not seem to want to talk about their cancer very openly, which made it difficult to know who you could talk to who could really understand. Even for myself, it took me a couple years to be able to feel even slightly comfortable talking about my experience, mostly because a lot of the things that happened were still a little foggy and it took time for all those memories to come back, and still today some of them are still lost, which in the long run may be for the best. That is at least what my mom continues to tell me. I cannot imagine being her and seeing someone go through half the things that occurred over the years after finding out that the sudden and sever hip pain was leukemia. Then to watch as I almost died due to complications many times. In one of the other posts that I am currently working on I talk about how important my mom was and still is throughout everything and how she was the rock and strength through all the difficult times and my main pillar of support.
My doctors and other health care providers recommended that I talk to a therapist about everything but I did not know how that could help. How are they suppose to know how I feel if they have not experienced life with cancer before? Even fellow cancer patients might not understand everything that someone else is going through since even the same cancer and treatment can vary depending on the individual. Also, each person has a different outlook on the events in their life.
The first year after finishing chemo I did not think that I should be able to complain about how hard everything was and still seemed to be because I didn't lose any part of my body or any motor functions like others that have had cancer. Thus, when the time came for me to ask for a wish through an organization for young adults that is similar to the Make a Wish foundation I wasn't sure I deserved it and had a hard time asking my doctors to sign a form stating that I did indeed deserve a wish of my choosing (within reason and within the continental US). However, now I realize that anyone that has to work that hard to survive and deal with all the things that cancer brings to the table, they do indeed deserve to celebrate somehow.
Technology has come a long way over the years since my first diagnosis and those battling this disease now know that it is still no picnic, but maybe it is just a little easier knowing that finding support groups that you can meet fellow cancer survivors and those going through treatments and chat with them through google hangouts or skype and build up an internet support system is available compared to 2003 when those thing did not exist.
Even today I still wonder how people find some of the groups that they talk about. I must not be looking in the right places or using the right keywords.
