The word I thought I would never hear…Cancer

It started with a pain in her side. Then came the tests: mammogram clean, colonoscopy clean, blood tests clean, well maybe a little elevated. After several weeks we got the news…my wife has stage 3 primary peritoneal carcinoma. It is a peach sized mass attached to the omentum, an apron of fat that protects the internal organs. It may also involve the spleen.

Until you hear the “C” word in context with a close loved one you just can’t understand the impact. All my life I’ve known people who have had and either survived or succumbed to cancer. My mother’s sister died of pancreatic cancer. Yet until its either yourself or someone close like a spouse you just don’t understand the effect the word has on you.

So what does this have to do with marketing, running a business or advertising design, you might ask. Nothing, absolutely nothing, or does it? We all go through things in life. That’s what is all about after all. Without the adversities large in small in our life we would not no the highs of happiness and peace. Without travail we wouldn’t know joy. Do I want my wife to have cancer? Hell no. Will I embrace it? In time. We are on a journey millions take everyday on this planet. We will get to know the medical system intimately. We will find friends we didn’t even know existed. We will experience love like we’ve never known before. We will come out the other side of this experience closer and stronger.

In the mean time we will experience the lows of life, long hours in waiting rooms, and a lot of tears of frustration when we have set backs as well as elation when we get small steps of progress. I guess my point here is two-fold.

We are never alone in this life.
I’ve suffered through tragedy before and found that I was never alone. No matter how extreme, I was always surrounded by people who cared. It’s amazing to me how differences melt away when a friend or family member is going through a rough patch. People who haven’t spoken for years will reunite. Others will be there who have always been there. Strangers will knock at your door and wish you well while leaving a covered dish. That is what makes us great as a people and as a world. We are all in this together. Never forget that.

We all have our trials.
The second point is that we all need to realize that we all go through bad times. Some of us seem to have more rough spots than others, but just the same we all go through bad things in life. Take a moment and look around. You know someone that right now today is facing something hard. How can you help them? I know for me a kind word of encouragement or just the presence of someone quietly sitting with you is more precious than gold. It doesn’t cost a thing to be supportive.

Though the “C” word scares us both immensely we will get through this. We have a huge network of friends and family that will provide us support and help. My wish is that everyone facing something bad in their life has the resources that Chris and I have. We are so thankful.

I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.