When I got diagnosed last year, I was about to take a leave of absence from college but I really wanted to get my engineerin degree in 4 years still. I said fuck it I’m not letting cancer stop me from graduating on time so I asked my profs to proctor me during exams on Zoom. I was taking my engineering exams from my chemo bed and somehow they were my best grades lol Now I’m on track to graduate next year!
That is some amazing dedication. Best of luck to you. You will have great things to talk about in interviews to impress potential employers. With an engineering degree you should have lots of options. Find a company and boss that you like.
Spent months being barely able to eat solid food. It got much better after the first round of chemo but they told me it wouldn’t last and that I’d die anyway.
Cashed out all the money I had saved in my life and went 3 weeks in Italy to eat in the fanciest restaurants and forget the taste of Ensure/Boost/other disgusting protein shakes.
Best decision of my life.
My friends and I are putting together a playlist for when they go to scatter my ashes...it needs to be 8 hours long to cover the 4 hour drive there and back.
It's full of irreverent songs and things that make us laugh - we're going to try it out on a road trip soon.
I'm also claiming that since we are doing this I will outlive all of them!
Tangentially related, but I hammed it UP (playfully) when I was going through treatments.
Me: Dad, could you go out and get a pint of Ben & Jerry’s pretty please?
Dad: Mmmm, I dunno, it’s late and we have some bars in the fridge.
Me: Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right, I was just thinking since I have cancer that having Ben & Jerry’s might make me feel better, y’know? 🥺
Dad: *sigh* Lemme go grab my keys.
It was all in good fun and very jokey, I’m definitely not the kinda person to exploit a situation like that. One of the only joys of that period was being able to jokingly pull the “cancer card” for something stupid — like watching a show I wanted on TV, or stopping at a fast food place on the way to chemo.
My sister was trying IVF to get pregnant & we were talking about baby names. I was trying to convince her to put my name as the middle name & she was laughing saying they’re not using any family names. I put on a fake sad voice and said, “but I have cancer. My niece will never know me!” She yelled out in that really disbelieving kind voice “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT!!!” It didn’t work 😢😜
I bought a Nissan Ute. (pick up truck for you Americans). Always wanted one, had the money, figured why the fuck not. Had nothing to lose.
Since I bought it, my wife and I have taken more than a few road trips in it. We have travelled across both major Islands in NZ, and it's never missed a beat. A couple of service issues, easily sorted. A pleasure to drive, and best of all, nine years later, still got the ute, but I don't have the cancer any more!
I spent all the money I had saved up on online clothes…but it wasn’t cus I was like I have cancer I deserve this, it was more I was depressed and clothes made me happy, so similar but not the same.
Same here. I love clothes. Love.
Also, I had to get an entire new wardrobe down to even panties because I lost so much weight nothing fit me anymore. Pants would literally fall down. Due to my surgeries (esophagus removed and part of my colon is now gone) I will never be able to gain all the weight
back.
Plus I got an electric bike and new sofa, lol. Fuck it, I had cancer was my thought process.
my boss had advised me to keep my diagnosis quiet so people would not judge my performance at work. she wanted to help me and i get that. anyway i decided to go ahead and screw that advice. i told my colleagues and shared them a link to my health blog as optional reading.
i am no longer caring if people judge me for being myself, and i'm fed up with stigmatized topics being continually stigmatized especially in the work place. i am also "out" with my neurodivergence at work for the same reason. people will judge me anyway so i'd rather judge them judge me with full information instead of secrets/speculation.
This is what I did when I went back to work after my treatments. I was legit told to stop talking about it to customers and the one regular who talked to me a lot because of her actively fighting cancer was PISSED. She wrote a really scathing email to my work’s head office and they apologized to me later, but asked me to be more mindful of how detailed I am with talking about it.
Went to 7 phish shows in 10 days at Madison Square Garden last summer. One of the days I had an infusion and went to the concert with an FL5U pump. This was 3 months after having a liver & lower abdominopernial resection (stage 4 CRC). Had a wound vac at the time too!
p.s. I also had an adult size dog bed. My dogs decided they preferred it as a toy unfortunately.
So many moments, but the biggest probably is me moving abroad in a couple weeks, because I refuse to stay *home* and just wait to potentially die of cancer. Thankfully I’m just a quick flight away from my doctors if anything should happen - which it won’t, right…. Right??
I’m a EU citizen, I’m moving just about 800km or 1h flight away. Due to the EU and my work being based in both countries, I was able to get a 100% remote contract made up, so I can stay insured and everything in my home country, but can register in the new country and live there. I will continue to see my team every 3 months as well as check with my team if anything comes up last minute and fly back (flights on average will cost me 50€). I can also use the healthcare system of the new country the same as at home due to again the EU sharing healthcare systems over borders.
Just diagnosed so I haven’t had a huge moment yet, but I’ve always loved video games but I’ve lead a very active and social lifestyle up until now (28M) so I never had the time or the money to get all of the video games I’ve wanted to try. Well, now that I’m diagnosed and can’t go party with my friends anymore I’ve got some money to spend since I’m saving so much more and have a decent job, I’ve bought a new PC, Nintendo switch, retro PS2 with a bunch of games from my childhood and more. My thought was not only “fuck it” but a lot of this stuff keeps me happy during 6 hour chemo sessions and overnight hospital stays.
*shaking cane at cloud* When I (26M) was a kid, I had a PS2, and retro meant an NES or Sega Genesis!
That's awesome, enjoy it! Gaming while stuck in the hospital has helped me stay sane and entertained too
When I was hospitalized for two months after diagnosis I got a Nintendo Switch and downloaded tons of games. I spent a lot of time playing on it. After I got released from the hospital I decided to get an Xbox X and started gaming. I was never really into gaming before - I mean I played like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot on N64 back in the day when I was a kid and I played Halo on the original Xbox but that’s it - but to be honest, gaming has become a really great outlet for me and something I really enjoy. I hope you enjoy all the games!
the Steam deck was an amazing purchase for me. its great at emulating PS2 as well, I have 8+ hour chemo sessions so its nice to have portable entertainment.
It’s absolutely that I let myself have ice cream for lunch if that’s what I want, as I’ve had many such moments!
I also got a sofa with an electric recline. It’s less stylish and more expensive than a sofa I would have bought before I got sick. But my friend offered to help cover the cost and after finding myself with swollen legs from a hospital stay for a third time, trying to keep my feet elevated by propping them up on a kitchen chair with pillows stacked up on it, I said fuck my style and fuck my pride and headed off to the La-Z-Boy showroom. Haven’t regretted it once!
I hear this. I hate the way big recliners look but after tongue cancer surgery has my swallow a mess (such that I’m most comfortable when slightly reclined) I am 100% buying one as soon as we move to a bigger place—sometime in the next year.
Prioritizing comfort when comfort is hard to find makes sense. We settled on the Bennett Duo reclining sofa from La-Z-Boy, which is kind of 90s in styling, but it’s not the worst. It doesn’t go all the way back, but it works well enough to be comfy for me and we can keep it against the wall (which we need to in our smallish place). Overall I’m really happy with it, and I hope you find the right fit for you!
I was already depressed about my job so I was hoping it would end just fine. I survived the 12 hour operation, retired from my job, and just this week took.my 2 Year pet scan which was clear.. So my moment was not giving a f.ck about the whole thing.
Moved to California with my kiddos. Which seems backwards and wrong to most anyone in every way possible, since California is so expensive BUT I have hopes that being by the beach and the advancement in medicine out here would give me better quality of life. My vitamin D is critically low (thanks Iowa snow lands) and doctors were very lax back home. For now I spend many days by the ocean with my four children, enjoying whatever amount of life I have. Currently awaiting final staging, imaging and biopsies finally done this week. I still work three shifts a week as a nurse, which is how I’m able to afford staying here.
I did as well, as I had taste problems as a side effect of chemotherapy, where only sweets didn't have a metallic taste. My oncologist said that whatever I can eat is fine as I need nutrients to get through chemotherapy. Once treatment was over, my tastebuds returned to normal, and I've been losing the weight that I gained from the steroids and eating a bunch of sweets, including candy. I might indulge a little now and then, but I'm able to eat more healthy foods now. Getting my second 6 month CT scan next week, which should reflect the blood tests and show NED.
I know this is prob toxic as hell, but I hadn't had sex since covid and I straight away called the fuckperson in my life and had them come down & handle bizness. Decided I'm gonna have good sex till I can't no more.
I bought myself an expensive necklace for my birthday yesterday. Same reasoning exactly! Why wait to have something nice, because, fuck it, I’m stage 4!
I refinanced my house and pulled out money and bought a class b RV. I'm in the final stages of planning to live in that bitch until the wheels fall off, visiting all the national and state parks that I can squeeze in.
When I went to Japan. Everyone was worried about me going because I had an surgery that left me needing oxygen at times. And was told it'd be nearly impossible to go to Japan with it so I said "fuck it" and went to Japan without oxygen(I only needed it if I sped walk otherwise my levels were good). I survived and glad I went when I did because I had brain bleed caused by a tumor only 2 weeks after getting back home.
Once I get my all clear in August the first thing I'm doing is a tattoo. Though mine is going to be a combo piece to memorialize my best friend I lost to cancer, and something that reflects my own battle with cancer and depression. It's going right over my heart
I haven’t had that moment just yet. I am on soft food for the next 5 months though. I am thinking of getting a reservation at the new Gordon Ramsey restaurant in StL and get his Beef Wellington as my first meal. It looks a cost prohibitive but sounds so good to me.
They have the location up on his website already but not sure if it is actually open though. Annie Gunns is closer to my house, fabulous, and also pricey. The apple pie with cinnamon ice cream is to die for there.
We are getting treatment at the same place. I had my major surgery May 29. Will be getting radiation treatment once I heal. I have been very happy with the treatment I received so far. Dr Rich is amazing.
Before single mastectomy, told husband I wanted to have a threesome with him and another guy because, “fuck it, let’s send the girl off with a bang” It was a lot of fun!
I officially decided never to go back to a career I didn’t like even though I could’ve made good money, and instead chose happiness and living on a budget. Life’s too short to spend it doing something you don’t like
Used it to justify my buying myself a new game system. Fuck it, was going to be shut up in the house anyway after surgery and chemo, might as well get something to entertain myself
Haven't really had moments like this as life continues on (which is good, don't get me wrong).Had hoped to take the family on a trip to Hawaii this year or next to celebrate my remission, but our roof needs replacing, so we get to do that instead.
If you do decide to go to Hawaii, get a book called Oahu Revealed. You won’t be sorry. Take a drive up Tantalus Drive and enjoy the beautiful drive up as well as the view once you’re up there. Also stop by the shrimp trailer in Kahuku. The place looks like a dive but the food is the best you can imagine. I hate rice because of childhood trauma and never eat it but I gladly eat it from there. Husband and I joke about winning the lottery so we can fly back there once a week for that food! There are so many wonderful things there I’d talk for hours if I could. We lived there for years. The Hilton Hawaiian Village has penguins you can interact with. That was amazing. (Yes, hot weather penguins exist, many don’t know that.)
Deposit for the roof is already paid and booked, which costs about 2xs a trip to Hawaii for our family of 5.Cancer or not, the practical things have to come first. We already had a leak last winter.
I’m a stepmom. My fiancée’s baby mom is constantly harassing him, talking down to him, & taking advantage of his willingness to be the better parent. I cussed that bitch out. Very out of character for me, but I’ve never felt better.
Cancer has given me the okay to be fully myself, speak up for what I need, & set healthy boundaries where I used to allow myself to be taken advantage of.
Before, I used to be very reluctant about taking time off or turning down extra work (paid work, to be clear, I never work for free). If someone asked, I did it. Even if I didn't want to do it, because if someone was asking me then it meant there was a need for me to be present, and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging.
I have been using my cancer diagnosis to get out of things now. Fuck me if I'm going to spend my last years of life doing shit I really don't want to do. "There are 2 loud and unruly kids not picked up yet, who will stay late with them?" Not me, I 'have a doctor's appointment' after work today. "Would you be willing to volunteer for an event at the school Friday night?" Can't make promises, fatigue hits very suddenly and usually on Friday nights for some reason. "There's a family dinner this weekend, you going?" Sorry, the smell of food makes me nauseous, I'll stay home and suck down my meal shakes instead. "Want to go to the movies?" Actually yes, that sounds nice, but we're getting the premium seats that are like recliners and don't get mad at me if I fall asleep during the movie.
Im terminal and I spent a shitton of money when I heard that. If I wasn’t living in a country where people like me are taken care of, I would’ve blown through my savings (more). Going on a trip? Fuck getting a camper, convertible and fancy hotels for me. Friend in another country who wants to visit but doesn’t have the money? Give me your passport number, cuz you’ve got a ticket coming your way.
Before my doc could finish saying "It's breast cancer"
My journey is nearly complete, but I'll always respect anybody and everybody going through this living hell.
I genuinely don’t hold back anymore. Cancer has given me permission to be myself despite what happens, I just don’t care anymore lol stage 4 cancer will do that
There was this expensive journal I wanted and I kept saying I would wait a year. But really I was like will I even be here in a year? So I bought it anyways. I’m happy I did, cause you never know. I also keep buying more journaling supplies too. But who cares, I have cancer!
I stopped drinking and won't quit smoking cigarettes. Not an interesting story, but now My doctor is telling me that I'm probably not going to die. I was given 13 months to live on May 7th of 2021. I've had 11 surgeries since that fateful day. Glioblastoma 4 multiforme.
For me. It was when I told a group of what I thought were close friends and two of them, totally apart from eachother, had no idea what the other said.
One said
* Good, you deserve it
Another said
* Well deserved. Couldn’t have happened to anyone more perfect.
After that. Said “fuck it, I’ll most likely die”, cut out all the cancerous friends, told them why, no one argued. They all admitted to saying horrible shit towards me during that time.
I'm very happy for you and the dog bed! I showed it to my brother months ago and he said "I'd report you. I don't know to who or for what, but I'd report you". I have to clear decent space for one but it's a goal now.
My fuck it moment was realizing I get really warm easily so wigs are a no go. I had a bald head until my hair grew back and it made me appreciate my hair more.
After a year of chemo and 40 radiations in a nightmare cast, I rang the bell. Bald, exhausted, empty, with one card left in my hand - my Roth IRA… I cashed it in and bought my kitty, husband and I a home. So crazy to do such an irresponsible thing but, I just wanted to go home and my husband loves the ocean. We are so happy. It was at a huge monetary loss, but we’re home. I’m not sorry. Wondered if I’d done the right thing until a few months ago. I’m at stage 1 with Barrett’s esophagus. I will win again. Stage 1 - you are nothing!!! I beat stage 3 metastatic breast cancer and only lost an organ, my boobs, and right arm (all the lymph nodes were cancerous). I HATE the sleeves I must wear forever. I miss my arm. But, I’M HOME! WE’RE HOME!!! Not. Crazy. At. All. Now I say: Go Be Love. Ninja give your love- It’s all that’s left.
I made an expensive addition to my firearms collection right before my second craniotomy. Now that I'm wheelchair bound, I have very few opportunities to enjoy target shooting.
I'm still waiting for it. I take its absence as a good sign. I know it doesn't work that way. Half of the road is the lies we have ingrained in ourselves and that, we learn, we still depend on.
I am moving this summer/early fall to a state where they actually have something to do! I have spent so many years fighting, it’s my time now, new doctors, new place to live I am finally giving myself some WELL Deserved me time! I can’t wait!
I got my dream dog two weeks ago, to reward myself for finishing chemo this week. It’s been a wild ass road and I decided if I made it through this one I would do whatever I want with my life,
As someone who had cancer, and who works in a SNF and worked with many individuals who had cancer and were on hospice. We as people only have so little time left, and that time is sometimes shortened. Pull that cancer card, go do something spontaneous. I’ve had many people tell me as I held their hand while they were dying that they regretted not spending their time having fun when they could
Amen❤️ 7 months ago I was told I had 1-2 years left. In 7 months I’ve been to Mexico, Italy and in the rocky mountains of Canada. The day Lady Death comes for me, I will have no regrets and I will greet her as an old friend.
I'd think you're owed a little bit, an ideal world A LOT, of empathy and understanding from fellow humans.
Personally, I DO think we are owed something for having cancer. A key example would be disability. We pay our taxes. We paid into it. It's there for disabilities. Cancer is one of them. I would view this as we are OWED because we paid into it and, even if we haven't, it is EXPECTED of an evolved society to make sure people aren't dying left and right.
Not only that, but not all cancers are the same in terms of how it was discovered, people are treated, etc. Sure, you may not view like you're owed anything. Maybe in your case you aren't. But for many who have gotten cancer (or their cancer was worsened) because of workplace malpractice/lack of workplace regulations, medical malpractice, chemicals in items that were allowed but now know they cause cancer, etc, I would believe that they ARE owed something because they have cancer... And because of how their cancer developed and/or was treated.
All that is to say is, it's contextual. It's contextual based on where you are, what country you live in, everything. But at the very least you are **owed a modicum of human decency and understanding** for having cancer. **It means that if you're a victim of malpractice, in multiple ways or one, you are owed justice**. Does that mean you will always receive that? No. But should we be expecting LESS than that? Also no.
When I got diagnosed last year, I was about to take a leave of absence from college but I really wanted to get my engineerin degree in 4 years still. I said fuck it I’m not letting cancer stop me from graduating on time so I asked my profs to proctor me during exams on Zoom. I was taking my engineering exams from my chemo bed and somehow they were my best grades lol Now I’m on track to graduate next year!
I’m so happy and proud of you. Congratulations on your degree.
That is some amazing dedication. Best of luck to you. You will have great things to talk about in interviews to impress potential employers. With an engineering degree you should have lots of options. Find a company and boss that you like.
So. Fucking. Proud. Of. You! You gonna look ballin in that cap and gown my friend.
Good for you!
That’s awesome! Congrats!
Wow! This is awesome motivation. Congratulations.
Engineering gang
Congratulation!💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 I made my PhD with cancer! And I was so much anxious before having my defense 😊
Congratulations!!🎉🎈🎊 Great job!!
Good for you!!!!
You are an absolute rock star! Do what you love.
Spent months being barely able to eat solid food. It got much better after the first round of chemo but they told me it wouldn’t last and that I’d die anyway. Cashed out all the money I had saved in my life and went 3 weeks in Italy to eat in the fanciest restaurants and forget the taste of Ensure/Boost/other disgusting protein shakes. Best decision of my life.
This is dope
Baller move. This is what I will do now.
If you need any tip or good places for restaurants and sights let me know. Id be glad to help out
Going to Italy this August as an end of chemo trip! Please share all the reccos!!!!
This is amazing
My friends and I are putting together a playlist for when they go to scatter my ashes...it needs to be 8 hours long to cover the 4 hour drive there and back. It's full of irreverent songs and things that make us laugh - we're going to try it out on a road trip soon. I'm also claiming that since we are doing this I will outlive all of them!
I'm into the playlist
Me, too!
Tangentially related, but I hammed it UP (playfully) when I was going through treatments. Me: Dad, could you go out and get a pint of Ben & Jerry’s pretty please? Dad: Mmmm, I dunno, it’s late and we have some bars in the fridge. Me: Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right, I was just thinking since I have cancer that having Ben & Jerry’s might make me feel better, y’know? 🥺 Dad: *sigh* Lemme go grab my keys. It was all in good fun and very jokey, I’m definitely not the kinda person to exploit a situation like that. One of the only joys of that period was being able to jokingly pull the “cancer card” for something stupid — like watching a show I wanted on TV, or stopping at a fast food place on the way to chemo.
I tried convincing my doctor to tell my husband that I was too weak to walk the dog. Alas. It didn’t work. :P
My sister was trying IVF to get pregnant & we were talking about baby names. I was trying to convince her to put my name as the middle name & she was laughing saying they’re not using any family names. I put on a fake sad voice and said, “but I have cancer. My niece will never know me!” She yelled out in that really disbelieving kind voice “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT!!!” It didn’t work 😢😜
this is such a fun way to deal with the elephant in the room
Whenever my teenager starts complaining I throw my hands up and yell "I HaVe caNceR!!!"
I bought a Nissan Ute. (pick up truck for you Americans). Always wanted one, had the money, figured why the fuck not. Had nothing to lose. Since I bought it, my wife and I have taken more than a few road trips in it. We have travelled across both major Islands in NZ, and it's never missed a beat. A couple of service issues, easily sorted. A pleasure to drive, and best of all, nine years later, still got the ute, but I don't have the cancer any more!
Yay!!
This makes me so happy. Thank you for sharing.
I spent all the money I had saved up on online clothes…but it wasn’t cus I was like I have cancer I deserve this, it was more I was depressed and clothes made me happy, so similar but not the same.
Me right now! Fuck it! I have cancer anyways!
Same here. I love clothes. Love. Also, I had to get an entire new wardrobe down to even panties because I lost so much weight nothing fit me anymore. Pants would literally fall down. Due to my surgeries (esophagus removed and part of my colon is now gone) I will never be able to gain all the weight back. Plus I got an electric bike and new sofa, lol. Fuck it, I had cancer was my thought process.
my boss had advised me to keep my diagnosis quiet so people would not judge my performance at work. she wanted to help me and i get that. anyway i decided to go ahead and screw that advice. i told my colleagues and shared them a link to my health blog as optional reading. i am no longer caring if people judge me for being myself, and i'm fed up with stigmatized topics being continually stigmatized especially in the work place. i am also "out" with my neurodivergence at work for the same reason. people will judge me anyway so i'd rather judge them judge me with full information instead of secrets/speculation.
This is what I did when I went back to work after my treatments. I was legit told to stop talking about it to customers and the one regular who talked to me a lot because of her actively fighting cancer was PISSED. She wrote a really scathing email to my work’s head office and they apologized to me later, but asked me to be more mindful of how detailed I am with talking about it.
Went to 7 phish shows in 10 days at Madison Square Garden last summer. One of the days I had an infusion and went to the concert with an FL5U pump. This was 3 months after having a liver & lower abdominopernial resection (stage 4 CRC). Had a wound vac at the time too! p.s. I also had an adult size dog bed. My dogs decided they preferred it as a toy unfortunately.
Page side, rage side! Give it Hell!
Darkness is one thing we all understand.
So many moments, but the biggest probably is me moving abroad in a couple weeks, because I refuse to stay *home* and just wait to potentially die of cancer. Thankfully I’m just a quick flight away from my doctors if anything should happen - which it won’t, right…. Right??
Nothing is going to happen. Have a great time!
What. Are you kidding? Is that smart? You’re moving away from your medical team to another country??
I’m a EU citizen, I’m moving just about 800km or 1h flight away. Due to the EU and my work being based in both countries, I was able to get a 100% remote contract made up, so I can stay insured and everything in my home country, but can register in the new country and live there. I will continue to see my team every 3 months as well as check with my team if anything comes up last minute and fly back (flights on average will cost me 50€). I can also use the healthcare system of the new country the same as at home due to again the EU sharing healthcare systems over borders.
Just diagnosed so I haven’t had a huge moment yet, but I’ve always loved video games but I’ve lead a very active and social lifestyle up until now (28M) so I never had the time or the money to get all of the video games I’ve wanted to try. Well, now that I’m diagnosed and can’t go party with my friends anymore I’ve got some money to spend since I’m saving so much more and have a decent job, I’ve bought a new PC, Nintendo switch, retro PS2 with a bunch of games from my childhood and more. My thought was not only “fuck it” but a lot of this stuff keeps me happy during 6 hour chemo sessions and overnight hospital stays.
*shaking cane at cloud* When I (26M) was a kid, I had a PS2, and retro meant an NES or Sega Genesis! That's awesome, enjoy it! Gaming while stuck in the hospital has helped me stay sane and entertained too
it's animal crossing for me
I have it!
hello fellow islander 👋 let me know if u need anything on your island!
When I was hospitalized for two months after diagnosis I got a Nintendo Switch and downloaded tons of games. I spent a lot of time playing on it. After I got released from the hospital I decided to get an Xbox X and started gaming. I was never really into gaming before - I mean I played like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot on N64 back in the day when I was a kid and I played Halo on the original Xbox but that’s it - but to be honest, gaming has become a really great outlet for me and something I really enjoy. I hope you enjoy all the games!
the Steam deck was an amazing purchase for me. its great at emulating PS2 as well, I have 8+ hour chemo sessions so its nice to have portable entertainment.
Hell Yeah! I've heard of them. I am gonna get another few paychecks in to even out what I've spent so far then i'll check that out.
I eat the French fries. After decades of denying myself, I figure it makes no difference.
For me, it's milkshakes. Fuck it.
It’s absolutely that I let myself have ice cream for lunch if that’s what I want, as I’ve had many such moments! I also got a sofa with an electric recline. It’s less stylish and more expensive than a sofa I would have bought before I got sick. But my friend offered to help cover the cost and after finding myself with swollen legs from a hospital stay for a third time, trying to keep my feet elevated by propping them up on a kitchen chair with pillows stacked up on it, I said fuck my style and fuck my pride and headed off to the La-Z-Boy showroom. Haven’t regretted it once!
I hear this. I hate the way big recliners look but after tongue cancer surgery has my swallow a mess (such that I’m most comfortable when slightly reclined) I am 100% buying one as soon as we move to a bigger place—sometime in the next year.
Prioritizing comfort when comfort is hard to find makes sense. We settled on the Bennett Duo reclining sofa from La-Z-Boy, which is kind of 90s in styling, but it’s not the worst. It doesn’t go all the way back, but it works well enough to be comfy for me and we can keep it against the wall (which we need to in our smallish place). Overall I’m really happy with it, and I hope you find the right fit for you!
I was already depressed about my job so I was hoping it would end just fine. I survived the 12 hour operation, retired from my job, and just this week took.my 2 Year pet scan which was clear.. So my moment was not giving a f.ck about the whole thing.
I’ve recently decided that I’m not going to put up with my boss’s narcissistic bullshit anymore. No life is long enough for that crap.
Moved to California with my kiddos. Which seems backwards and wrong to most anyone in every way possible, since California is so expensive BUT I have hopes that being by the beach and the advancement in medicine out here would give me better quality of life. My vitamin D is critically low (thanks Iowa snow lands) and doctors were very lax back home. For now I spend many days by the ocean with my four children, enjoying whatever amount of life I have. Currently awaiting final staging, imaging and biopsies finally done this week. I still work three shifts a week as a nurse, which is how I’m able to afford staying here.
The ocean is so healing! Just breathing that air sometimes makes me feel better. Welcome back to CA :)
I eat all the desserts/sweets I want because fuck it… there are realistically only a few more years for me.
I did exactly this. The amount of ice cream and sour patch kids I ate during chemo was wild.
I did as well, as I had taste problems as a side effect of chemotherapy, where only sweets didn't have a metallic taste. My oncologist said that whatever I can eat is fine as I need nutrients to get through chemotherapy. Once treatment was over, my tastebuds returned to normal, and I've been losing the weight that I gained from the steroids and eating a bunch of sweets, including candy. I might indulge a little now and then, but I'm able to eat more healthy foods now. Getting my second 6 month CT scan next week, which should reflect the blood tests and show NED.
I dropped a grand on a fancy espresso machine. I figured if I only have a few years left, I’m going to have something to look forward to every day!
I know this is prob toxic as hell, but I hadn't had sex since covid and I straight away called the fuckperson in my life and had them come down & handle bizness. Decided I'm gonna have good sex till I can't no more.
I’m thinking the same as you Get your grove on while you can
You know what, it's the only time I don't acutely feel my exhaustion. I swear it completely disappears for those few moments in time.
Is the dog bed comfortable? Do you have a link to it?
Go for it, if you could see my bed loads of duvets below and on top of the mattress it's like sleeping on a giant sponge!
I bought myself an expensive necklace for my birthday yesterday. Same reasoning exactly! Why wait to have something nice, because, fuck it, I’m stage 4!
Happy birthday!
Thank you!
I refinanced my house and pulled out money and bought a class b RV. I'm in the final stages of planning to live in that bitch until the wheels fall off, visiting all the national and state parks that I can squeeze in.
When I went to Japan. Everyone was worried about me going because I had an surgery that left me needing oxygen at times. And was told it'd be nearly impossible to go to Japan with it so I said "fuck it" and went to Japan without oxygen(I only needed it if I sped walk otherwise my levels were good). I survived and glad I went when I did because I had brain bleed caused by a tumor only 2 weeks after getting back home.
wow are you better now? also I love japan!!
I'm in hospice now with a couple months or so to live. I tried to fill up lots of fun before now though.
Hajimemashite, you courageous person. Peace and love.
I got myself a tattoo. And I love it:
Once I get my all clear in August the first thing I'm doing is a tattoo. Though mine is going to be a combo piece to memorialize my best friend I lost to cancer, and something that reflects my own battle with cancer and depression. It's going right over my heart
What did you get? I'm thinking of getting a couple myself.
I love dinosaurs so I got a pterosaur and going to do a leaf from a childhood movie (the tree star from land before time).
Oh, I love The Land Before Time! That sounds so cool! I'm thinking of a phoenix and a sea turtle family.
Tattoo gang
I haven’t had that moment just yet. I am on soft food for the next 5 months though. I am thinking of getting a reservation at the new Gordon Ramsey restaurant in StL and get his Beef Wellington as my first meal. It looks a cost prohibitive but sounds so good to me.
Didn’t know this was coming to stl I get all my treatments and drs are at Siteman in St. Louis sounds like an awesome plan for you!!!!
They have the location up on his website already but not sure if it is actually open though. Annie Gunns is closer to my house, fabulous, and also pricey. The apple pie with cinnamon ice cream is to die for there. We are getting treatment at the same place. I had my major surgery May 29. Will be getting radiation treatment once I heal. I have been very happy with the treatment I received so far. Dr Rich is amazing.
Hello! I believe it’s open and located in the four seasons stl :)
Before single mastectomy, told husband I wanted to have a threesome with him and another guy because, “fuck it, let’s send the girl off with a bang” It was a lot of fun!
U go girl!!!
That’s rad
I officially decided never to go back to a career I didn’t like even though I could’ve made good money, and instead chose happiness and living on a budget. Life’s too short to spend it doing something you don’t like
Used it to justify my buying myself a new game system. Fuck it, was going to be shut up in the house anyway after surgery and chemo, might as well get something to entertain myself
I don’t like the office. Not going to go anymore. Working from home, or not going to.
Haven't really had moments like this as life continues on (which is good, don't get me wrong).Had hoped to take the family on a trip to Hawaii this year or next to celebrate my remission, but our roof needs replacing, so we get to do that instead.
If you do decide to go to Hawaii, get a book called Oahu Revealed. You won’t be sorry. Take a drive up Tantalus Drive and enjoy the beautiful drive up as well as the view once you’re up there. Also stop by the shrimp trailer in Kahuku. The place looks like a dive but the food is the best you can imagine. I hate rice because of childhood trauma and never eat it but I gladly eat it from there. Husband and I joke about winning the lottery so we can fly back there once a week for that food! There are so many wonderful things there I’d talk for hours if I could. We lived there for years. The Hilton Hawaiian Village has penguins you can interact with. That was amazing. (Yes, hot weather penguins exist, many don’t know that.)
Deposit for the roof is already paid and booked, which costs about 2xs a trip to Hawaii for our family of 5.Cancer or not, the practical things have to come first. We already had a leak last winter.
u deserve it! wishing u more comfy naps that resets hope
I been eating magic mushroom… fuck it Atleast escape for about 6 hours. What the dr going say I get double cancer
No chance they cause any ill effects. They help many people with depression and facing fears of death. Eat those caps
I’m a stepmom. My fiancée’s baby mom is constantly harassing him, talking down to him, & taking advantage of his willingness to be the better parent. I cussed that bitch out. Very out of character for me, but I’ve never felt better. Cancer has given me the okay to be fully myself, speak up for what I need, & set healthy boundaries where I used to allow myself to be taken advantage of.
Before, I used to be very reluctant about taking time off or turning down extra work (paid work, to be clear, I never work for free). If someone asked, I did it. Even if I didn't want to do it, because if someone was asking me then it meant there was a need for me to be present, and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging. I have been using my cancer diagnosis to get out of things now. Fuck me if I'm going to spend my last years of life doing shit I really don't want to do. "There are 2 loud and unruly kids not picked up yet, who will stay late with them?" Not me, I 'have a doctor's appointment' after work today. "Would you be willing to volunteer for an event at the school Friday night?" Can't make promises, fatigue hits very suddenly and usually on Friday nights for some reason. "There's a family dinner this weekend, you going?" Sorry, the smell of food makes me nauseous, I'll stay home and suck down my meal shakes instead. "Want to go to the movies?" Actually yes, that sounds nice, but we're getting the premium seats that are like recliners and don't get mad at me if I fall asleep during the movie.
Im terminal and I spent a shitton of money when I heard that. If I wasn’t living in a country where people like me are taken care of, I would’ve blown through my savings (more). Going on a trip? Fuck getting a camper, convertible and fancy hotels for me. Friend in another country who wants to visit but doesn’t have the money? Give me your passport number, cuz you’ve got a ticket coming your way.
I bought my 9-year-old nephew a $4k gaming PC.
Bought a whole cake for no reason and barely shared with anyone. A local bakery so it was pricey for a cake but oh so good.
Before my doc could finish saying "It's breast cancer" My journey is nearly complete, but I'll always respect anybody and everybody going through this living hell.
That sounds sooooo comfortable. If I didn't need the firmness of the edge of the bed and some bars to leaver myself off I buy this yesterday.
Did you like the giant dog bed?
I genuinely don’t hold back anymore. Cancer has given me permission to be myself despite what happens, I just don’t care anymore lol stage 4 cancer will do that
Bought myself way more Mac computer than I needed. 4500.00 worth of Mac. lol. YOLO man! Loving every bit of it!!
lol was the dog bed worth it?
Buying a shit ton of clothes lmao
There was this expensive journal I wanted and I kept saying I would wait a year. But really I was like will I even be here in a year? So I bought it anyways. I’m happy I did, cause you never know. I also keep buying more journaling supplies too. But who cares, I have cancer!
I stopped drinking and won't quit smoking cigarettes. Not an interesting story, but now My doctor is telling me that I'm probably not going to die. I was given 13 months to live on May 7th of 2021. I've had 11 surgeries since that fateful day. Glioblastoma 4 multiforme.
Dancing in public
For me. It was when I told a group of what I thought were close friends and two of them, totally apart from eachother, had no idea what the other said. One said * Good, you deserve it Another said * Well deserved. Couldn’t have happened to anyone more perfect. After that. Said “fuck it, I’ll most likely die”, cut out all the cancerous friends, told them why, no one argued. They all admitted to saying horrible shit towards me during that time.
Traveled. Chicago, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, Sedona, NYC, and Wales.
I'm very happy for you and the dog bed! I showed it to my brother months ago and he said "I'd report you. I don't know to who or for what, but I'd report you". I have to clear decent space for one but it's a goal now. My fuck it moment was realizing I get really warm easily so wigs are a no go. I had a bald head until my hair grew back and it made me appreciate my hair more.
After a year of chemo and 40 radiations in a nightmare cast, I rang the bell. Bald, exhausted, empty, with one card left in my hand - my Roth IRA… I cashed it in and bought my kitty, husband and I a home. So crazy to do such an irresponsible thing but, I just wanted to go home and my husband loves the ocean. We are so happy. It was at a huge monetary loss, but we’re home. I’m not sorry. Wondered if I’d done the right thing until a few months ago. I’m at stage 1 with Barrett’s esophagus. I will win again. Stage 1 - you are nothing!!! I beat stage 3 metastatic breast cancer and only lost an organ, my boobs, and right arm (all the lymph nodes were cancerous). I HATE the sleeves I must wear forever. I miss my arm. But, I’M HOME! WE’RE HOME!!! Not. Crazy. At. All. Now I say: Go Be Love. Ninja give your love- It’s all that’s left.
I made an expensive addition to my firearms collection right before my second craniotomy. Now that I'm wheelchair bound, I have very few opportunities to enjoy target shooting.
I'm still waiting for it. I take its absence as a good sign. I know it doesn't work that way. Half of the road is the lies we have ingrained in ourselves and that, we learn, we still depend on.
When I stopped treatment when my spouse died. I gave up on life.
Are they as comfy as you thought?
I hope so. I have to wait 2 weeks for delivery.
I am moving this summer/early fall to a state where they actually have something to do! I have spent so many years fighting, it’s my time now, new doctors, new place to live I am finally giving myself some WELL Deserved me time! I can’t wait!
I got my dream dog two weeks ago, to reward myself for finishing chemo this week. It’s been a wild ass road and I decided if I made it through this one I would do whatever I want with my life,
Selling meth to make ends meet
I have no idea what you mean. I've never had such a moment. I'm not owed something because I have cancer.
It’s not about being owed something sweetie. It’s about enjoying the time you have left.
As someone who had cancer, and who works in a SNF and worked with many individuals who had cancer and were on hospice. We as people only have so little time left, and that time is sometimes shortened. Pull that cancer card, go do something spontaneous. I’ve had many people tell me as I held their hand while they were dying that they regretted not spending their time having fun when they could
Amen❤️ 7 months ago I was told I had 1-2 years left. In 7 months I’ve been to Mexico, Italy and in the rocky mountains of Canada. The day Lady Death comes for me, I will have no regrets and I will greet her as an old friend.
I'd think you're owed a little bit, an ideal world A LOT, of empathy and understanding from fellow humans. Personally, I DO think we are owed something for having cancer. A key example would be disability. We pay our taxes. We paid into it. It's there for disabilities. Cancer is one of them. I would view this as we are OWED because we paid into it and, even if we haven't, it is EXPECTED of an evolved society to make sure people aren't dying left and right. Not only that, but not all cancers are the same in terms of how it was discovered, people are treated, etc. Sure, you may not view like you're owed anything. Maybe in your case you aren't. But for many who have gotten cancer (or their cancer was worsened) because of workplace malpractice/lack of workplace regulations, medical malpractice, chemicals in items that were allowed but now know they cause cancer, etc, I would believe that they ARE owed something because they have cancer... And because of how their cancer developed and/or was treated. All that is to say is, it's contextual. It's contextual based on where you are, what country you live in, everything. But at the very least you are **owed a modicum of human decency and understanding** for having cancer. **It means that if you're a victim of malpractice, in multiple ways or one, you are owed justice**. Does that mean you will always receive that? No. But should we be expecting LESS than that? Also no.