Comments on: Good news, bad news

by: Mariam Y

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:10:04 +0100

Good Luck. We all pray for her

by: Lab Lemming

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:52:05 +0100

I knew a post-doc who got lymphoma in his young 30’s. One of his responces was to write up everything he’d kinda partly done but felt wasn’t quite ready for publication. It turns out that most of it was good work anyway, and the resultant flood of papers made him a bit of a star in his sub-field and scored him a permanent job.

Since he lived in a very rigid, bureaucratic country, once he had that job he simply wasn’t allowed to die.

Good luck to your sister. I hope the transplant goes well, and she makes the most of those aspects of her life over which she does still have control.

by: Anonymous

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:30:58 +0100

First: Thinking of you and your sister.

I guess the most encouraging thought I can give right now, is that no matter how small a chance is, even if it’s 10% or 2%, someone will end up being that tiny percentage.

Anecdote: I’m about six years from diagnosis with Hodgkin’s Disease this week, and I know that statistics can be grim - especially if you’re not in the lucky majority that go into remission with the first round of treatment, but there are some people who make it through anyway. I failed to go into remission with radiotherapy/regular chemotherapy, so went straight onto high dose chemo and a transplant at that point. I don’t/didn’t have the best prognostic factors, and my transplant wasn’t easy, but if I’m still in remission this December, that will be five years.

by: Alethea

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:58:33 +0100

You can still revel in the completion of your project. I am sure your sister is happy for you in this accomplishment, just as you are happy that she has an additional option for feeling better after the aggressive treatments she has undergone. It’s not that the science isn’t comforting, it’s just that there are no definitive answers because every individual and their situation is unique. However, if the stem cell transplant has been brought up by her doctors, there’s every chance that she’ll be able to replenish her blood cells and that’s positive. As you say, the bad news is having the cancer to begin with, but as some Roman said a while ago, “dum spiro spero”.

by: working

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:19:13 +0100

Best of luck to your sister.