Five years
Five years ago today I got the worst news of my life: I was diagnosed with ocular melanoma, a rare form of cancer that has no cure. A biopsy revealed I had the aggressive, deadly form. That meant my life expectancy went from twenty-five years to about four in a doctor's visit.
Long story short, life has been pretty damn rough these past five years on a lot of different fronts. (I'll spare you the boring details.) However, I am still here, it still hasn't spread (which is how it kills you), and I have spent five years enjoying these great games from my young(er) days. It's been one of the few bright spots (and some days it seems like the only bright spot) in five turbulent years that make puberty seem like a breeze. Thank you, Beamdog, and thank you to everyone here on the forums.
Long story short, life has been pretty damn rough these past five years on a lot of different fronts. (I'll spare you the boring details.) However, I am still here, it still hasn't spread (which is how it kills you), and I have spent five years enjoying these great games from my young(er) days. It's been one of the few bright spots (and some days it seems like the only bright spot) in five turbulent years that make puberty seem like a breeze. Thank you, Beamdog, and thank you to everyone here on the forums.
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Comments
Thanks for sharing that, I know it can't be easy talkin bout it.
If you don't mind me asking how did they give a time frame when you have no metastases? I'll understand if you do though, not easy.
Ocular melanoma is a weird disease. There really aren’t stages. Either it is confined to the eye, or cells into the blood stream and grow in the liver and lungs. Once they metastasize there, you have maybe a year, statistically. Although recently someone in an online support group passed away after sixteen years of metastatic OM. Sad, but she did make her 82nd birthday.
With my mutation (there are at least three that can cause this), there is a 50% chance of metastasis within three years, 72% within five. So I am in the lucky 28%. Some people have gone nine or ten years with this mutation without metastasis: there really isn’t any data beyond that, because the testing for different mutations isn’t that old.
So, at least I know what I’m dying of. At least, I hope so. If I’m hit by a meteor before this spreads, I am going to be so p*ssed of in the milisecond before I’m crunched.
Thanks for sharing that.
Edit: Seriously now. I think that it's fantastic how you are able to keep your humour. My first months in a wheelchair I was grumpy as f*c* and almost someone unbearable to stand with.
It took me a lot of time (and therapy) to understand that sh*t happens and sometimes they happen with you.
All kidding aside, as someone whose girlfriend has been battling cancer for almost 3 years, hats of to your continued survival and positive attitude. I hope one day in the future no one has to go through the ordeal this disease in all it's forms inflicts on those diagnosed with it and their loved ones. That day may be far off, but everyone should know that people battling cancer are among the bravest people in the world, on a daily basis.
And once you've seen kids being wheeled around a cancer hospital, you quit whining and start living. My first thought was "Okay, at least I made my 40s and I'm walking out of here today."
So you're basically a better version of Walter White?
That's badass and a good example for the community at the same time.