Fifty Plus (50+) - A little OT but you will understand

I attended a family function at a hotel in the NC mountains this past weekend. As I entered the hotel there was a very nice sitting area next to the lobby complete with a fireplace, chairs, tables, etc. I noticed one of my sisters sitting in very cushy chair talking to another much older lady I didn't recognize so I headed over in their direction. As I got closer I was shocked to see that the other older lady was none other than my oldest sister who is only 4 years older than me...........

She was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago and is undergoing chemo. I had just seen her at Easter after her first treatment. Since then she has undergone 3 more treatments and will now start a round of radiation followed by 4 more rounds of chemo.

I was dumbstruck at how different she looked in just a matter of weeks.........I can only imagine what she much be going through. My deepest respect is for any of you that have cancer or have relatives or close friends that are dealing with this horrible disease.

Another reason I ride-not only because I can but hopefully it will keep this old body strong enough to ward off such such horrible diseases..........as wishful thinking as it is.

I attended a family function at a hotel in the NC mountains this past weekend. As I entered the hotel there was a very nice sitting area next to the lobby complete with a fireplace, chairs, tables, etc. I noticed one of my sisters sitting in very cushy chair talking to another much older lady I didn't recognize so I headed over in their direction. As I got closer I was shocked to see that the other older lady was none other than my oldest sister who is only 4 years older than me...........

She was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago and is undergoing chemo. I had just seen her at Easter after her first treatment. Since then she has undergone 3 more treatments and will now start a round of radiation followed by 4 more rounds of chemo.

I was dumbstruck at how different she looked in just a matter of weeks.........I can only imagine what she much be going through. My deepest respect is for any of you that have cancer or have relatives or close friends that are dealing with this horrible disease.

Another reason I ride-not only because I can but hopefully it will keep this old body strong enough to ward off such such horrible diseases..........as wishful thinking as it is.

I'm sorry to hear about your sister, jppe.

I started riding and taking better care of myself for similar reasons. My mother and both her sisters lost their battles with cancer in their 60's. At my current age (64), I've lived longer than any of them.

Every day is a gift......

My mother died of cancer and 2 sisters, and I had it, but they caught it in time. I get up tight everytime I hear of someone with cancer, my prayers for her and the whole family, that she pulls through this ordeal.

Scary, is it not jppe?

JPPE,
My thoughts and prayers are with your sister tonight. Spend as much time as you can with her during her treatment and it will help her to be strong and overcome the disease.

Keep riding. Exercise and decent nutrition will do as much as anything else for your immune system.


A card for your sister

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God Bless your sister JPPE, I hope she sees a full recovery soon.

Thanks for posting, and extend my best wishes for a speedy and full recovery to your sister.

If it offers any help, my mom lived for 50 years with cancer. Constant fight but it can be done.

On the lighter side cancer will be cured before Windows Vista is fixed.

Sorry to hear about your sister. I hope she comes through it in good shape.

A good friend of mine, an active member of my cycling club, has just started chemotherapy for Hodgekins Lymphoma. She had no clue of a problem until she fell after hitting a dog on her bike and landed on her chest. A precautionary X-ray revealed a growth within her ribcage which turned out to be a tumor. That stupid dog may well have saved her life. I sure hope it did.

God Bless your sister JPPE, I hope she sees a full recovery soon.
+1. I'm always at a loss for words for things like this. :(

I know the feeling JPPE.

My younger brother is battling a particularly virulent mestatic (sp?) from of bladder cancer. I saw him last June when he was in remission and he looked great. Right after that things went down hill. I saw him again in March, and he's a frail old man now, wracked with pain and confined to a couch or wheelchair. Quite a change from the 6'5" basketball star I grew up with.

It is in his honor that I joined Team in Training and will be doing the ride around Lake Tahoe on June 3rd.

I'll keep your sister in my thoughts/prayers.

Be strong.

Brian

We all know people, family members and friends, who have battled cancer and won. Your sister will be one of those. My thoughts are with your family . . . .

Wondering how many of us wear a yellow bracelet. Most everyone I know has been touched somehow by cancer. We here stay healthy, pedal up hills, come home tired from work and then go out to "work" on roads for pleasure and health....yet we can be humbled, like Lance, in so short a time. My frail mom, others I've known, have been humbled by the medication, the pain, and the indignity of cancer-- yet also often found a kind of personal heroism in how they cope. Hard to express a coherent thought about it sometimes.

Jppe....my best thoughts for you and your family and all of your present and futures.

reading CrossChain posts....they are more like music than just words.

Yeah, Crosschain says it very nicely. Best of luck to your sister jppe!!

Having had Cancer- I realise how much your sister is going through. I no longer have to have periodic checkups but had a little scare in the last few months. Having to go to the Cancer clinic has made me realise how lucky I am to have got over it but my Big C was 6 years ago. Knowledge, Treatment and hopefully cure of cancer has changed a lot in those 6 years. Fortunately the treatment is not as bad as it seems. Your appearance goes- you age physically and mentally, but there is always hope at the end of a very long tunnell.

Just let your sister know that Cancer is not as serious as it was 5 years ago. It is still serious and she will have to go through a lot of days when it may not be worth continueing with a debilitating treatment- But that treatment is worth it in the end. And that is from one who was announced clear of cancer last year.

JPPE, just remember that her spirit is the same regardless of what things befall her body. My bride went through two surgeries, four months of chemo and two months of daily radiation some three years ago. Now cancer free for two and half years, I count every day with her a blessing.

Be kind to your sister, and try not to be shocked by her appearance. I think the treatment is a lot harder for women than for men. Some of you guys are bald anyway, and I sure wouldn't want to wear a wig in the south in the summer. The disease and treatment causes changes in many ways in people but the human spirit endures. We who are able just need to be encouragers. Best regards.

Best wishes for your sisters recovery, jppe. We're all pulling for her.

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Spinning the prayer wheels on behalf of your sister as well as you and your family. This wind blows through many of our lives, leaving lasting effects on all it touches. We fervently hope the result is only a memory, soon to be in the past for all of you, and of the success of having defeated and withstood the storm.

My mother passed away from breast cancer a year ago, she had it for about 6 years so we were lucky to have her last so long. It was very difficult for her and at the end she said she just wanted to see another spring which she did. My sister had breast cancer at 28 and has had a double masectomy and is currently cancer free at 45. It appears my famility has the BRCA gene and my daughter will need to be checked out. Cancer is a terrible disease but great strides in treatments have been made over the last 10 years, hopefully this continues. Best wishes for your sister and family as they go through this ordeal.

Best wishes to your sister and hopefully a full recovery. My parents both had cancer and I suppose that makes me more likely to have it. My father is now 7 years cancer free. I get regular checks of anything suspicious and have a colonoscopy every five years. I guess that's about all one can do.

This post is not off topic. We, here in 50+, are a family. We share our victories and our defeats. We talk of our things, our health, and our loved ones. None of these things can be off topic for us.

You are loved by all and we are praying for your sister.