Resources and support for families dealing with cancer and serious illness

Hey everyone,
Ivanicapec, I haven't been able to post anything on the association forum because my home computer is being a total nightmare—it only decides to glitch out right when I actually need to get stuff done! Work is just as bad; every time I try to load the page, all I see is a mess of blue lines. I'm guessing it's just because the hardware is ancient? It’s honestly such a headache!
Not much else going on here. My father-in-law seems fine on the surface, though I can definitely sense he's feeling pretty anxious.

Kate Ramos40 said:Hey everyone,
I haven't been able to get a single word posted on the association forum because my home computer decides to act up exactly when I actually need it to! Work is just as bad—whenever I try to load a page, the screen turns into a mess of blue lines. I suppose it’s just because the hardware is ancient? It's honestly exhausting.
Nothing much else is new on my end; my father-in-law seems fine on the surface, though I can sense he's feeling pretty restless lately.

Kate Ramos40, what do you mean by blue lines? 😕

Which version of Explorer are you running? Explorer 6, 7 (surely it isn't older than 6)?

I’m telling you from the bottom of my heart, get out of Miami ASAP!
I mean it! Our biggest mistake was relying on that local hospital!
Unless you happen to run into one of those rare exceptions who actually know what they're doing—and trust me, they're just side characters there!
Take care,

Thanks for the heads-up. I really hope our doctor happens to be one of those good ones.
The day we found out the unit was closed indefinitely, things got pretty frantic. We were honestly thinking about pulling some strings and calling up people in Washington, D.C., but we ultimately decided to stick it out in Miami since we've had such great experiences here in the past. It really comes down to a trade-off, doesn't it? Is it worth sacrificing quality of life just to chase better medical options?

Which version of Explorer are you running? Like, Explorer 1, 7... please tell me it isn't older than 6!

Hey, fighter girl, I honestly have no clue! I checked under properties, but it doesn't say which Explorer I'm using.

slyseal28,

If you look at your browser's toolbar, there’s a "Help" menu—just click the very last sub-menu item, "About," and all the details should be right there. Go ahead and check, please... I really don't see why there would be any issues accessing the association's forum. You actually had me a little worried there for a second...

"Taking the Netscape Navigator tour"
Does that mean it's a five?

Reading an article in the paper today about a woman who jumped from the 6th floor in Times Square, I can't help but dwell on the sheer absurdity of human nature. On one hand, you have people fighting tooth and nail just to stay alive, while others decide to simply take it away from themselves. Those of us dealing with relentless illnesses—people close to us included—spend our days praying for just one more sunrise, celebrating every decent lab result and mourning the bad ones. Then there are those who look at the struggle and just say, "Forget this, I'm out." It feels incredibly selfish. What kind of unbearable weight must someone be carrying to make such a choice? My father passed away back in July 2005, and my mother was diagnosed with cancer in June 2006. We hadn't even begun to process losing him when her diagnosis hit, and I honestly thought she might just give up and follow him (they were inseparable), but she hasn't. She’s been fighting for nearly two years now, and I truly hope she keeps going, and that we pull through this together. Sometimes I wonder if my father’s passing served some grim purpose; the cancer had clearly been brewing for years, perhaps triggered by the intense stress of his death. Who knows if it would have all gone undetected until it was far too late?🤷Forgive my rambling; this is the only place where I feel I can truly express myself, among those of you who, unfortunately, understand this better than anyone else.

Dear everyone,

My mother is preparing for a major surgery to treat ovarian cancer, and she’s going to need a significant blood transfusion—at least 5 liters. Since she has the rare B- negative blood type, finding enough supply is proving to be quite a challenge. My brother and I are both stepping up to donate since we share her blood type, but naturally, that won't be nearly enough to cover her needs. If anyone happens to have B- or O- blood and is willing to help, I would be incredibly grateful if you could reach out. You can contact 555-0199 Jane.🙏
Thank you.

Amanda Miller69 said:Hey everyone,

My mom needs a massive blood transfusion—at least 5 liters—for a major surgery to treat abdominal cancer. Since she has the rare B- blood type, finding enough supply is proving to be a real struggle. My brother and I are both donating since we share her type, but obviously, that won't cover it. I’m reaching out to anyone who has B- or O- blood and is able to donate; please get in touch. Call 555-0199 Jane.🙏
Thanks.

I'm O+. Let me know if that's an option at all.

Dear Angela Wright,
Unfortunately, they're only looking for B- or O- blood types right now. I actually just stopped by Petrov before heading into work to see if I could donate.

Amanda Miller69 said:Dear Angela Wright,
unfortunately, they can only work with blood types B- and O-, so there isn't much wiggle room there... I actually just stopped by Petrov before heading into work to donate some myself...

Sadly, my own blood type is A-, but I am truly hoping enough people stepped up so that the surgery goes smoothly... I'll be keeping you in my thoughts... hang in there...

Nancy Hernandez43 said:Unfortunately, I’m an A-negative, so my blood type won't be much help here. That said, I really hope enough people have stepped up to donate and that everything goes smoothly with the surgery. I'll be thinking of you all—stay strong.

My brother managed to track down a few more donors with the matching blood type, so I’m hopeful we’ll have more than enough now. I really appreciate everyone stepping up to help. Thank you for the support.🙂We press on.🙂

Angela Wright said:I'm O+. Please let me know if they can work with that type too.

Hey everyone, I'm pretty new here and honestly, I'm still figuring out how this whole forum thing works...
I noticed you've posted quite a bit about my diagnosis.
It's a Grade II astrocytoma in the brain, and honestly, it's just destroying me right now. If anyone has any advice or knows anything at all, please, reach out. I really need the help.

cosmicsurfer7 said:Hi everyone, I'm new here and honestly, I'm feeling a bit lost...
I noticed you've posted quite a bit about my malignant tumor.
It's a Grade II astrocytoma in my brain. It's killing me. Please, if anyone can offer advice, reach out to me.

My dad has also been fighting a brain astrocytoma for a long time. He was also initially diagnosed as Grade II, but his grade has since progressed.
Anyway, I'll help you with advice or shared experience just like all the good people on this forum, but it wouldn't hurt if you were a bit more specific. When was the tumor discovered? Have you had surgery? Is there a recurrence? Etc.
Ask whatever you need to know.

cosmicsurfer7 said:Hi everyone, I'm new here and honestly, I'm still trying to figure out how this whole forum thing works...
I noticed you've posted quite a bit about my tumor.
It’s a Grade II astrocytoma in my brain. It feels like it's killing me. Please, if anyone can offer any advice or guidance, reach out to me.

Go check out www.mayoclinic.org
You'll find a ton of information regarding brain tumors and different treatment paths.
If I can offer any perspective right now, it's that a Grade II astrocytoma is something you manage and hold onto for as long as possible, no matter how terrifying it seems. My take is that with a diagnosis like this, you can buy yourself enough time until some new, high-quality breakthrough drug hits the clinical market.
Stay strong and keep fighting.

Amanda Miller69 said:Hi everyone,

My mom is facing a major surgery for abdominal cancer and needs a significant blood transfusion—at least 5 liters. Since she has the rare B- negative blood type, finding enough supplies is proving to be quite a challenge. My brother and I are both planning to donate since we share her blood type, but obviously, that won't be nearly enough... I’m reaching out to see if anyone with B- or O- blood who is able to donate might be willing to help. Please reach out to 555-0199 Jane.🙏
Thank you.

I'm B-. I'd be more than happy to help out if needed.

Nathan Bailey said:I’m O-negative. I'll help out if needed.

Thank you so much. If you happen to be a donor and have an insurance card, please head over to the local Blood Center on 3rd Avenue. Just let them know at the desk that this is for Zdenka Košćec's surgery, which has already been coordinated with the Mayo Clinic.
If you don't have an insurance card, you'll need to go to the Mayo Clinic tomorrow morning around 7:30 AM to see Dr. Plenković in the transfusion department. She will draw your blood and determine your type right then and there. You should mention again that it's for my mother's operation (as mentioned above). Once you have the confirmation, you can head to the Blood Center to donate. The surgery is scheduled for a week from today.
I can't thank you enough.🙏

Hey there to all the regulars and the newcomers alike, sending 🙂 my best to everyone here.

We’re still pushing through—it hasn't been easy, especially since Mom can barely get around these days—but we aren't backing down. Things feel a bit up in the air right now, though I suppose uncertainty isn't the worst thing we could be dealing with. I'll post a more detailed update once I've managed to catch my breath.

Hang in there, everyone. 👍

I'm really crossing my fingers that you're able to find enough blood donors. I happen to be O+ myself, and I know firsthand how much of a difference that makes.

Melissa Kim45 said:Sending my best to all the regulars and newcomers alike—you have my full 🙂 support.

We’re still in the thick of it here. It hasn’t been easy, especially since Mom can barely walk these days, but we aren't backing down. Things feel a bit uncertain right now, though I suppose uncertainty is the least of our worries. I’ll provide a more detailed update once I’ve managed to gather some strength.

Hang in there, everyone. 👍

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you find enough blood donors. I happen to be O+, and I know firsthand how much of a struggle that can be.

Unfortunately, only those with negative factors can help out. I actually sent an email to my company (we're at a major telecom provider), and a few people with O- reached out. Of course, they always prioritize matching the primary group first. I’m B-, and I went in to donate yesterday. Is there anything more noble than donating blood for your mother or anyone else in need? I’m a regular donor anyway; this time, however, it's deeply personal.🙄

Melissa Kim45 said:We’re still fighting through this—and even though it’s rough, Mom can barely even walk—but we aren't backing down. Things feel a bit uncertain right now, but honestly, that's not even the hardest part. I'll check back in with more details once I've caught my breath.

Melissa Kim45, you’ve been MIA for a while and I was actually hoping you’d drop some witty post to brighten everyone's day... You know you always know how to make us laugh. 😁

I'm so sorry to hear things have taken a turn for the worse on your end.
How are you managing everything with your mom? Are you getting any help out there?

It’s been three weeks since we moved Mom into my place, and let me tell you, it's quite the "happy little family" dynamic...
My sister, her husband, me... we're all basically camping out around Mom. There is absolutely no way one person can handle this alone; it’s just too much.
The constant struggle with waking her up, bathroom trips, diapers, changing her, laundry, meds, monitoring blood sugar, insulin shots, cooking, cleaning... it's just endless.
And Mom? Some days she’s totally cooperative, other days she’s being stubborn, sometimes she’s lucid, and sometimes she's just not there.

The nights are the absolute worst—when she gets up and starts wandering around the house, tripping, falling, getting back up, then falling again...
One night she even snuck into the kitchen and swiped a banana. At least that time she actually found her way back from the kitchen without a problem! 😬