If you find a way to “pack it away”, I want to be the first on the list to acquire your remedy. I have been treated as if I am “just fine” so many times, after the initial crisis of diagnosis and surgery. Then there was a complication that nearly did me in, a necrotic infection at the surgical site, which left me even more disfigured than was originally intended.

My fear is that I will be forgotten forever, because of physical limitaitons I cannot get out as often as I would like, and my friends stopped coming over long ago. Why? I ask myself that question, perhaps it is because of their own fear that they will “catch” it, or the reality that this can happen to any one of us — I am not sure what the reasons for the desertion, but it really hurts me to know those I trusted to be with me have been long gone for quite some time.

I have been thinking of a way to give back, to share my story with others, to help people to understand the emotional impact that comes with a cancer diagnosis. I have been writing for quite a while now, something I plan to evolve into a book to help to educate others on this aspect. If you have any ideas on how to address this, I am open to suggestion or criticism, but I believe if I can get my thoughts in order, I can make some impact.

I am so tired of hearing people say “You’re OK now, right?” I am not OK by any means physically, and especially emotionally. You seem to hit the nail on the head each time you write, and I thank you for bringing this topic to the forefront. I am so grateful to have found you, and feel I am making friends every time I read or write.

Thank you, Doug, for your insight and courage.

Fran