The big C

Nazrah's entry about her mom's relapse (my duas are with you naz) sort of brought it all back to me, this dread and fear for the great C. gerun, ngeri, takut .. 1001 macam perasaan. i see it all around me and at my age, its not only affecting the generation of dads, moms, aunts & uncles but also friends. they seem to be falling like autumn leaves and mostly due to the famous four: hypertension, heart attacks/strokes, diabetes and cancer.

I had my share of the great scare. when i was in college, i discovered a lump at my left breast and had it removed immediately. i was lucky it wasnt malignant but it was quite a scare nevertheless. later when i had my 2nd child i discovered another one but i was to have another lucky break; the doc said it was most likely a lump associated with my breastfeeding and just as predicted, it did disappear when i stopped. but each of my boys were 'hantu kopek' lol and were breastfed to the max of 2 years and by then, i'd already developed a paranoia for lumps. yessiree, i'm one of those people who religiously carry out self-exams... often. so far so good.

But even if cancer is a devastating disease the prognosis is better than it used to be and i get prove of that from close friends. Off my head, 3 have had successful masectomies and have each been in remission ranging from 7 to 3 years. 4 have done away with their wombs/uterus and having remissions ranging from 8 years to 2 months. a friend's hubby had his colon cancer succesfully arrested by surgery & chemo and has been going about merrily for the past 5 years. and of course there're others; neighbour's family members, friends of friends, but i wont list them all here.

Its not my intention to downplay any of the struggle, the pain or the sorrow but more to focus on the fact that there is life after cancer. the common factor in all the survivors seems to be their own strong will to live and thus keep on fighting. and that they have at their disposal the undivided love & support of friends & family each time they hit the lows. its not something that can be borne alone. terlalu berat untuk dipikul sendirian so if we do have family & friends with cancer, pls make time for them because they need us.

Kak ct, a close friend & senior officemate, has such a positive and upbeat attitude that others often forget that she's a cancer survivor. bosses load her with work and the rest sometimes lay heavy demands on her which i think is unwarranted. not that she should be treated differently but just that she should be given due consideration. i mean its like this big battle and for them to have fought and won !!! wow... survivors should be treated as war heroes no less. we really have to be more sensitive because there seldom is a complete cure, just remissions. kak ct admits to going thru moments of absolute stark terror especially when she has unaccounted aches & pains coz thats when she worries about relapses. but i tell her not to think too much about it. i mean she never misses any of her folllow ups and has made all the necessary allowances in her diet & lifestyle. she has done her best. but on the other hand, the reality is theres also a myriad other illnesses lying in wait ready to pounce on all of us. so, a person might have say a 10 year remisssion slotted for him/her but after just 5 years dies of a stroke instead. there just isnt any certainty in life as it is. and who's to say the sick has a shorter lifespan compared to the rest? i may be crossing the street and a lorry runs me down just like that (nauzubillah).

But crux of the matter is... be there for the sick. they need our love, support & understanding.

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Golf man has been playing 2 days straight in one of his seemingly never ending games & tournaments... this time its the 16th annual malaysian petroleum golf classic (all the org minyaks lol). the guyz being the smart buggers that they are, slotted in dinners for the 2 nites so that all the spouses and significant others can feel they're part of the whole shebang. so thats how moi got to attend the final prize giving dinner & dance a while ago :)

It was a buffet of sorts. the venue wasnt all that suitable i thought (RP Entertainment, The Saujana) a little sempit for that kind of occasion but great for cozy little groups. the food was so so and we were intermittently entertained by headwind. but after the prize presentation there was the lucky draw (lots of cash vouchers and the grand prize was a return trip for 2 to perth) and later the dance. it was fun but we didnt win anything... the hubs had a bad run and lucky draws have this tendency to ignore our existence lol

But like i said it was fun. 'twas a chance to catch up with friends and to *burp* 'scuse me... stuff my face heheh.