Monday, June 11, 2007

No Surrender!

I got some good advice today from Steve Stilwell, who said, "don't let this illness control everything in your life. And it will try to do so." Steve's been there, and he knows.

So, by God, I'm not going to close down the blog. The comments down below have warmed my heart, believe me, and I'm going to keep on truckin' and smiling and pretending everything is just fine. You guys are great. Maybe there won't be quite as many posts here, maybe they won't all be chipper, but I'm gonna be here.

And now for an update on Judy. We're trying to process a lot of information, but here's what I think right now. Her lymphoma is of the non-Hodgkins variety. It's also "indolent." That means it grows slowly (good news) but is incurable (definitely not good news). It can be kicked into remission, though, and we'll settle for that until the cure is found. We have a long road ahead of us, and it might take a while to get into M. D. Anderson, but we're going to come out on the other side smiling. I hope you'll all be here with us when that happens.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's why I told you earlier Bill that incurable isn't a death sentence. I have incurable cancer too (multiple myeloma) but I'm five years out and still truckin'. It ain't easy but it's definitely do-able and "indolent" is the best possible news you could get.
Ed Gorman

JD Rhoades said...

There you go. And don't feel like you have to be chipper all the time, my friend. You want to shake your fists and holler at the sky about how badly this sucks, go right ahead. We'll be here for you, agreeing.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear this devastating medical news. I hope your blog continues to be a source of joy, venting, and comfort for you, and I'm selfishly glad I'll still be able to read your cool posts. Best wishes from one of your long-time lurkers. :)

Anonymous said...

Bill
Me heart is in bits for you and Judy.........I've been down this road the last 5 months and easy it ain't but you know, you are the best I know, and sometimes, the very best does come to the very best, losing me hair, the rough treatment etc...........are really nothing when you know you are loved and by christ, you and Judy are
Love
KEN

Anonymous said...

See, Bill, even Stilwell is right some of the time!

Indolent is good! It certainly works for some of us.

Keep your spirits up and I'm sure Judy will too. After all, she has great genes, right?

Kent Morgan said...

Just catching up on my reading and want to add my thoughts and prayers. I believe Steve Stilwell is correct when he says not to let the disease control you. They say that once a person has cancer, they are never free of it, but it can be controlled.

My partner Gillian has been dealing with breast cancer and dealing with it well for about 18 months. Right now everything is clear, but it's a constant concern because her identical twin sister was diagnosed with cancer more than 20 years ago. She lived for more than 20 years and I'm sure her strength and positive thinking over that period of time provides Gillian with much of what she needs to deal with her own illness. And her strength gives me strength.

The first few days are the worst, but I hope the messages from so many of your personal friends and web friends and fans will help you move forward with a brighter outlook. From today's post it appears you already are.

Anonymous said...

You sure can't keep a good man down.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the credit, but you'd have figured it out before long.

xo, stilwell

Frank Denton said...

Continuing the blog is the first sign of your positive attitude toward Judy's ailment. Railing at the sky is just a teacher's attitude that suddenly he is not in control. Teachers live a life where they are in control much of the time. Suddenly they find themselves not in control and at first it is hard to deal with. The responders to this blog will continue to add to your own strength in dealing with this. Just keep up doing what you've been doing and we'll be there if you have to whine a little.

Anonymous said...

My dad mentioned this earlier in the week, but this is the first chance I've had to get caught up with the blog.

I'm so sorry to hear about this, Bill. You and Judy are in my thoughts.

(And don't you hate it when my dad's right about stuff? It's infuriating.)