Just need to talk to anyone in the same.place

Hi Shawn, I am waiting for my biopsy appointment next Thursday and I saw your note and I wanted to reach out. At this point after my MRI all I know is that I have 3 lesions of various size and we need to determine if they are malignant. I held a one day pity party (pizza and ice cream) the day I got the MRI results and since then I have been researching prostate cancer. What I want to share with you is the story of my Mother, who in 1974 was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had both breasts removed, I remember the surgeon coming to speak with my Father and my brother and he told us she had 6 months to live, we were devastated. My Mother was scheduled for chemotherapy and radiation at the same time, she was disabled to begin with, she was struck by a car as a child and was not expected to live, a whole other story, so one leg was shorter than another, but she could still walk fine. Once she was released from the hospital I took her for treatments, she would always walk in and walk out even though she was sick from the aggressive treatment regiment. There were times I had to carry her to the car, but only after she walked out of the office. My Mother's faith was unshaken despite the prognosis and I remember she would call her surgeon every six months on the anniversary of her operation and tell him "I'm still alive!" She managed to beat cancer, twice, and the only reason she eventually passed away was my Father died in 1985 and she lost her will to live, we lost her in 1987, 13 years after being given 6 months to live. At her funeral there were many of the nurses and doctors that had treated my Mother and each of them remarked how strong and brave she was, the reason I am telling you this is that if you put your mind to it you can BEAT IT TOO! Stay positive, stay online with this group, make changes to your life and diet. I was depressed initially, but when I am down I think of all the things that my Mother endured..............remember you can do this and there are people here who you can reach out too. Good luck and keep us posted.
Mike

Thanks Jill, you don't know the half of it, I was still in high school when my Mom was diagnosed and I come from a devote Catholic family, I lived in our basement with the stairs right off the kitchen and my Mom would get up every day to make breakfast for my Father and get him off to work, as sick as she was, and I would hear her pray every day, not for herself but for us in the event she did not pull through. She was not just my Mother, she was my hero, a fighter who never complained and with all she endured was worried more about her family than herself. Cancer sucks, but, if you remain positive and fight you can beat it - I am scheduled for a biopsy next Thursday and regardless of what we find I will not let cancer win and I hope that Shawn T can find some hope in this story. Stay positive, stay strong.

Hi Shawn. Just wanted to give you some encouragement about your stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis. My husband is a stage 4 prostate cancer survivor. We use "survivor" as opposed to "patient" because that's what we believe. He was diagnosed 14 years ago with stage 4 prostate cancer, had surgery, chemo several times when the cancer kept recurring and years of ADT. BUT....he's here living an active life. In addition to calling him a "survivor" I'd call him my "hero". Stage 4 is not a death sentence. Fight back with the help of a good oncologist, family support, self care and knowledge. I wish you the best.