Jun 30, 2009Cancer.
Cancer is one of those things that are very close to me. Both my grandmothers and one grandfather had cancer. I've been told I have leukemia because I was sick for two days. I know someone a year older than me that has leukemia. I've read a book, and seen the movie, about a girl with leukemia.
Like I said, both three out of my four grandparents have had cancer. I'm not going to share exactly what type they had because that's more information than I'm willing to post. Though, some of the things I'll say will hint at what type of cancer they had. When my grandfather was still alive, I wasn't very connected with him, but I still loved him. Because of his cancer it was very hard to speak with him. He couldn't pronounce words that well, due to surgeries. Now my one grandmother I didn't really know she had cancer until she died. My other grandmother, however, is still alive, I knew she had cancer, and I'm probably most connected with her. I would consider her my best friend, hands down. I think it was last week that I was asking her questions about when she got and what it was like with the chemo. She told me something that I will never forget: "They told me that they're going to kill you before they can revive you."
In 7th grade, I was sick was two days in a row (shocker, right?). I think it was because I had a horrible migraine and could not function in school. So what do I get when I come back from being home? I get someone telling me that another person said that I had leukemia. Isn't that a lovely thing to come back to school with? Even if that person was joking — which they were — cancer isn't something that you should joke about. What if I really did have leukemia? They would probably felt like total crap.
In my chemistry class last year, there was a boy would had leukemia. I didn't know that he had it until someone told me. It was puzzling to me why he was absent so many times, but then I realized after the fact it was because of his treatments. Then, sometime during March he just didn't come back. I found out the following April that his leukemia had come back. I also told that he would be able to come back to school until the following April. AT THE EARLIEST. It's horrible how young people can get these horrible diseases that cause them to have terrible lives. 
This last thing isn't personal, but I thought I should add it because I was going to originally have this post about it. For one month this past school year we were given free choice of reading for English. I chose My Sister's Keeper because I had wanted to read it for awhile. The main idea of the book is about a girl would has leukemia and is going to die if her parents don't have a second child. The parents end up having the second child, but after 11 years of donating tissue and cells the sister doesn't want to. If you want to read more, Wikipedia can help you. Last Saturday I saw the movie that came out the day before. I knew it wasn't going to be as good as the book, but I didn't think it was going to be that different.
So there you have it. Probably the most personally one of my posts is ever going to get. Whenever I hear someone joking about cancer I just want to punch them. It something that can completely destroy someone's life (along with their friends' and family's). Please, just don't joke about it.
I lost my dad to cancer when I was very little, and I can't stand it when people joke about cancer either. It's simply something that you should not joke about, and most people only realize that after they are personally affected by cancer. In this day and age, it's inevitable to be affected by cancer in some way
Manda Jun. 30th, 2009
I don't see why anyone would make that comment about you having leukemia -- that's just bizarre and immature. I also can't see how anyone *could* joke about something as serious as cancer. I mean, even if you or your loved ones have never been affected by cancer (as is my case, fortunately), you have to realize what a grave matter it is.
Meg Jun. 30th, 2009
My best friend's grandmother has played a huge part in my life and was like a third grandmother to me. She got cancer about 3 years ago, and she died on February 13 of this year. It was so hard, and I cried every day for weeks. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that she's gone - she's just not that person. She was so resilient, I never thought it would happen. I even had time to prepare - she stopped her chemo treatments in September, so I should have been ready. But when I found out, it was such a shock and a huge blow.
Clem Jun. 30th, 2009
Chemo*
It is a pretty scary thing, but since you have a family history of it, I'd find out the exact types of cancer your grandparents had, and get genetic testing done to see if you have the same cancer gene. If you do have the gene, it obviously doesn't mean you have cancer, just a slightly higher chance of developing it at some point, which is a good thing to know because most types of cancer are treatable if caught early enough.
Brent Jul. 2nd, 2009
[quote=81]@Manda[/quote] & [quote=84]@Clem[/quote]: I'm sorry for your loses.
[quote=89]@Brent[/quote]: Thanks for pointing out the typo, fixed. I was thinking about getting tested because I know there's a high chance that I might end up getting cancer. It would be so much better if they caught it earlier and hopefully saved my life.
Vasili Jul. 2nd, 2009
I know what you mean. One time I joked about cancer (it wasn't really big and I didn't really laugh), and my friend just stared at me, wide-eyed and shocked. She never really spoke to me for the rest of the day. I really, really regret it.
To this day, I make sure no one makes a joke about cancer.
If you want a super-easy read about a boy who has a brother that gets cancer, get Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Or read a summary about it. It's about a boy who has a brother that has cancer, and how he tries to deal with it.
Vanesa Jul. 14th, 2009