No Pity Party

A old friend of mine wrote me last week, telling me that he has a hard time feeling sorry for me seeing that I am doing so well. It was nice to hear from him, and his tongue-in-cheek comment got me thinking about the whole 'pity' issue. Why do people 'complain' about their problems, medical or otherwise? The word complain is a bit strong, I am referring to when people express their woes. I don't know the answer to this, I suppose its different for any person. I can tell you why I complain, and why I write this blog. Its not for pity.

The news of my diagnosis was devastating. I never cried so much. One major problem was the total lack of hope. I have a incurable terminal illness, but 'terminal' is not well defined. I began a quest to find other people with similar conditions. I wanted to know how people live with this condition. What was their life like, what issues do they face, do they have anything that resembles a normal life? I found a bunch, and one in particular was inspirational (thanks Liz). I started this blog to let friends and family know what is happening, but now I also write to inspire others. I write to help stop the tears in an others world.  There is hope in this text.

Back to the pity party. I do need some form of pity, particularly to the people closest to me. I try very hard to meet my responsibilities, and sometimes this is very difficult and I fall short. I need some understanding and acceptance when I fall short.

Second to last round of chemo starts tomorrow. It a funny thing, I start getting the side effects before I start the cycle. I am looking forward to the last cycle next month.

When it snows....GO SLEDDING!