Last week many stories and experiences came together and I had a conversation with my partner about this subject. And what I'm sharing here is just a personal view that I have, with respect to other opinions.
About two weeks ago I removed large amounts of weeds here on our land. It made the gravel road on the site visible again and, above all, wider. A tough job. I once learned from a good friend that hoeing seems nice, but that you have to remove the deep roots in the soil to really be off weeds for a while. No sooner said than done and that was a tough job and heavy sweating. And ... succeeded (I thought).
What struck me was that various weed species spread like a kind of satellites underground uncontrollably and sometimes spread abnormally. But I succeeded in clearing the weeds with roots and clean the soil. And to be honest, it felt good after work. It looked neat and tidy again.
For less than a week! After a rain shower the weeds returned in full. That good feeling was short lived.
What does this have to do with the title "Cancer Treatment and Quality of Life"?
I received an email from the wife of a school (childhood) friend that her husband had died of a malignant brain tumor. In my family, friends and circle of acquaintances there are various people who suffer from health problems (often forms of cancer). And in the course I am taking recently, there was also talk again about dying.
Although we usually don't want to talk about it, dying is something linked to being born. No one can escape whether you are rich or poor or whatever and whoever you think you are proposing. And you can't take anything with you. After all, everything you 'own' is only temporarily borrowed.
That weeds reminded me of cancer and the treatment of it as I know from many stories. And fortunately, there is more and more knowledge and more and more possibilities to slow down or even stop cancer in some cases. But, maybe hard to say, you're going to die (although maybe not from cancer if you would have (had)).
I know and hear many stories about the often very difficult treatments against cancer. The daily amounts of medicines, radiation treatments and also Chemotherapy. Many of those treatments are suffering severely. Everything aimed at fighting or slowing down the cancer and temporary extending your life. Many times it's the same as with those weeds with cancer. I still remember the treatments of my mother and also of my far too young cousin (21) who unfortunately could not win their fights even following their severe treatments.
My oldest brother also died of cancer. He decided not to fight and not to make use of the pills and chemotherapy advised by the doctors in order to stretch his life for a few more months (in misery). His consideration was what quality of life there would be and why and for what reason you (still) want to follow these treatments. Isn't it a surrender to your natural end of your life path called death? He passed away six weeks later.
In the conversation with my girlfriend it was about that quality of life. Everyone is running out of time. Let’s face it. And the older we get (or want to continue working), the less of that quality time remains. Our wish is to live that time as well as possible, in a high quality. And in many cases, this is no longer even possible due to health problems. What is your quality of life? Live NOW and sometimes worry less about things that life is not really all about.
I share that view of my brother. And the way I look at it now, that cup of medicines, radiation and chemo therapy, if it would come to that for me, may pass.
Gangey Gruma (Frans Captijn)
https://pyramidhousethailand.blogspot.com
Captijn Insight. Catalyst in developing tranquility & in-sight to get in a sustainable way real connection, purpose, pleasure and flow in life, love, family, business, career and work again.
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