Has your life been touched by cancer?

[Mike03]

Poll question: Has your life been touched by cancer?

A number of posts have recently been made regarding the trauma of having cancer or loving someone who has cancer. This is just an informal poll to see if any DUers lives have been touched by this horrendous disease.

This is my first-ever poll, after all these years here at DU. Please forgive me if I miss something obvious or make a dumb poll!

[Missy M]

1. Both my father and grandfather died of cancer.

My father had colon cancer and my grandfather had throat cancer.

[Stuart G]

36. Oral cancer here..

Caused probably by an inhaler that I used for asthma..am Ok for about a year...

[knitter4democracy]

2. I had a near miss with kidney cancer, lost friends to cancer, and my MIL's a survivor.

Last year they found a huge tumor in my right kidney, and while it looked and acted like cancer, I should be cured since they think it won't metastasize. Considering the pathology specialist had never seen anything like it other than a rare cancer, my doctor's keeping a close eye on me.

I lost a good teaching friend to lung cancer, and six months later, we buried another good teacher friend who died from breast cancer that the mammogram never saw. My stepmom's family has been wracked with cancer (her mom, her dad, her uncle, her sister with precancerous tissue, her with precancerous tissue), and my dad had skin cancer he got from work (radiation) come back a second time that's near his eye.

All I have to say is cancer sucks.

[FreeState]

3. Lost a Grandfather and a Brother In Law to cancer n/t

[supernova]

4. Mother and sister both had breast cancer

Sister survived; mom didn't.

I try to take care of myself and get mammograms religiously.

edit: two of my mom's three siblings also had cancer. The surviving sibling is an alcoholic smokestack. Go figure. :puke:

[JuniperLea]

5. Both maternal grandparents had cancer...

Grandma had breast cancer, Grandpa had Leukemia. My father's side has been hit as well... even my DAD has had suspicious lumps removed from his breasts! Men need to examine their breasts too!!!

A cousin had pancreatic cancer.

So far the immediate family has been spared, but we are ever-vigilant!

[mentalsolstice]

6. My dad has leukemia (CLL)

However, he's doing well, just has to go in for regular blood tests and avoid infections. My best friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (1995), two weeks later he was gone, and I've never really been able to get over the loss.

[B Calm]

7. Mother died at 49 years old, & my best friend died at age 36 of cancer

[Critters2]

8. My mother died of a glioblastoma in 2005.

I still miss her.

[Catchawave]

40. I lost my sister and father to that :(

Very rare to find it twice in one family.

[Critters2]

45. That's awful. I'm so sorry.

It's a terrible disease. To lose two loved ones to it, well, I just can't imagine. :hug:

[mmonk]

9. Yes.

[xchrom]

10. several close relatives have died from it -- and i've had skin cancer twice.

[RB TexLa]

11. Lost my mother last Dec to cancer, also two aunt and two great-aunts

included in that was both my mother's mother and her half-sister.

[taught_me_patience]

12. My sister is battling cancer right now and

at 27, it seems pretty unfair. She looks like she's going to pull through, though. It is just a horrible disease.

[AzDar]

13. Lost my Dad to lung cancer in 1994; two years later my sister-in-law to ovarian cancer..

(she was only 38 at the time, with 5 children) :cry:

[peacebird]

14. my mom's mother died of cancer, so did my dad and 8 of his siblings, my mom is a 2 time survivor

I've had abnormal cells (displasia?) removed from my breast, but no cancer so far. All the relatives who died of cancer got it and died between 63 and 65 years of age.
edit to add: I think that my dad growing up in the shadow of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard may have had an impact that led to all 8 of his siblings and he dying of cancer....

[H2O Man]

15. Other.

A number of family members have had cancer. Some have died, others have survived. I was raised in a neighborhood near a toxic waste dump site. Every family has had horrible experiences. It is what is termed a "cluster."

[AlCzervik]

16. indeed, i watched my mother die at the age of 44 from brain cancer.

i was 17 and if it wasn't for home hospice care it would have been far worse.

[Individualist]

17. My mother, maternal grandmother and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins

have died of cancer.

[lonestarnot]

18. Does bushitler count?

Because in that case I would have to say yes, I've been invaded.

[MedleyMisty]

19. Is first degree immedate?

Because I think my grandmother has cancer and I had an aunt die of it, but no parents or siblings.

[Kucinich4America]

20. Lost two friends and a relative within the last three years.

The most recent of these was a friend who died on New Years Day after a 6 year fight against cancer. His memorial service was yesterday.

I posted a mini-rant in another thread last night about this, it might actually be more appropriate in GD. I'm convinced that a lot of these cancers are being caused by toxins that were never meant to be in the human body. Some of these we take in voluntarily, by smoking, or eating processed or genetically modified food. The rest, we can't directly control, like what's in the air, or the water, or even within the walls of your home or office.

But the corporations who have made all of that possible need to be held accountable. And if you have lost someone to cancer, or even if you haven't, that's something that needs to be taken very seriously in an election year.

[candymarl]

21. My mother, aunt, 1st cousin, 2nd cousin died from cancer

I had a scare about 15 years ago. I had two tumors but both were benign.

[Mike03]

22. Thank you for the responses. I actually didn't expect any.

Thanks.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

23. Other: lost mother to cancer; close friend has cancer; and

close relative has ongoing issue with dysplasia (precancerous cells) due to HPV.

[blues90]

24. My younger brother died of liver cancer in 2001

He felt many times he would beat it .

[RockaFowler]

25. My grandmother died of ovarian cancer

She died 6 months after I was born. I had a cancer scare of my own 4 years ago. The doctor thought I had breast cancer. I had 3 mammograms and 2 sonograms until they found out that I was OK. Thank goodness I had a good insurance plan. I think that's the only reason they did so many tests - oh well her insurance will pay for it! Now, I've been told that I only need to get a mammogram once a year since I turned 35. Other women here know the pain of the smushed boob. And I had to deal with it for 3 times in 2 months. Ouch!

[emilyg]

26. Breast cancer survivor here.

[ccinamon]

27. 4 relatives in less than 15 years

have died of cancer....3 of them were smokers.

Grandmother 77
Mother 56
Mother in law 68
brother in law 46

My philosphy is that cancer is so common, that if you don't get hit by a bus, you will probably die of cancer.

[TZ]

28. I sort of live in the shadow of cancer in some ways

I have a chronic blood disorder (where my marrow makes too many platelets) that is considered a blood malignancy. Its not cancer, really but its considered in the leukemia family and SOME doctors do think the condition is "pre-leukemia". I have even had to take a mild chemotherapeutic from time to time.....

[unapatriciated]

39. I have a very high platelet count

and lost a sister to Leukemia in 1960. Because of my high platelet count, I routinely donated platelets at Children's Los Angeles when my son was there for an autoimmune disorder (dematomyositis). Also my father has been on blood thinners for this for years. I have never been told that this was associated with Leukemia. Do you have any information regarding this? My mother and grandfather had colon cancer. Sister and Aunt with Lupus. I tend to think there is a genetic and environmental connection.

[NoBorders]

29. Hodgkin's Disease Survivor

18 years and counting...

[cureautismnow]

30. My dad beat colon cancer for 16 years.

Lost him to a diabetes-related death at 69.

[Mike03]

31. Thank you all for participating

Even though I started this poll, it is too painful to read to responses tonight. Cancer is so scary to me at this moment. I will bookmark this thread and read it tomorrow.

Thank you so very much for your responses.

[il_lilac]

32. Husband is getting chemo now

3rd metastisis- just trying to keep it from spreading more...

[Viva_La_Revolution]

33. Me, Great Gram, Great Gramp and Fiance...

so yea, big time. :( I'm the only one still alive.

[Raine]

34. Mother, grandmother, aunt all died from

cancer. My mother and grandmother had breast cancer, aunt had colon cancer. :cry:

[Mutineer]

35. Both parents diagnosed within 3 months of one another

my father died last year.

[WillowTree]

37. Mother died of stomach cancer.

Daddy's was in his kidney. Ghastly, vicious, cruel disease regardless of what organs it chooses to attack.

[goodgd_yall]

38. Other

I have family members who have died of cancer, but I'm not afraid. I also have several coworkers who died of it. I have friends and acquaintances who have died of it. A couple of coworkers have cancer.

[MissB]

41. My father has been through three types of cancer so far.

The first was stomach cancer, before he was married to my mom (and before any of us kids came along). Back then, the doctors used a huge amount of radiation. So much, that when his third type of cancer was detected a few years ago (prostate), they couldn't use much more than hormone therapy on him as he'd received his lifetime limit of radiation. Luckily, he is still alive and kicking.

[eyesroll]

42. Cancer is all over my family.

Three of four grandparents (one died of it), every aunt/uncle on both sides (one aunt died of it).

Both grandmothers, one aunt and one uncle had breast cancer (yes, you read that right). Skin cancer, thyroid cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, and leukemia in various relatives (some relatives had multiple cancers).

My partner's mother died of leukemia several years before I met him. I have friends with cancer as well.

So far, my parents, sister, and I haven't had anything more severe than a suspicious mole.

[ShadowLiberal]

43. My older brother had cancer but survived, my grandfather died of a rare type of cancer

My older brother got it at the start of high school, and now he's been out of college for a few years. The treatment did have a few lasting effects on him though, like he'll probably be bald before our dad, but at least he'll be alive and well.

My grandfather got cancer something like 5 or 6 years ago, I forget the type, it's a rare type in America, something like throat or thyroid cancer. To be honest though he was always likely to get some types of cancer like lung cancer. He used to smoke for like 20 years before he finally somehow managed to quit once his kids were all grown up.

[Breeze54]

44. Cancer has been in my family, one member, but it doesn't 'run' in the family.

[riderinthestorm]

46. My husband is undergoing treatment for stage 4 lymphoma right now

I lost an aunt to lymphoma, and two grandparents from stomach and lung cancer. My mother just finished treatment for uterine cancer. A niece beat leukemia 10 years ago and she's still going strong.

The increase in cancer is just a terrible trend. I worry that our environment and food products are major contributors to the phenomenon.

[SeattleGirl]

47. My father died from cancer; my mother is a breast cancer survivor. n/t