I have been retired six years now and two years after I retired I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Now four years on my wife has been diagnosed with lung and maybe pancreatic cancer. Is anyone out there dealing with this sort of thing and how are you holding up?
Decease is not limited to aged, much younger suffer these and more . These bodies are frail, like it or not. I've had several injuries during my working curriers, and they all seem to revisit from time to time , I have no fear of the endless sleep, this mortal coil will some day adventure into , my friend is waiting for me, and watches over both behind and ahead of every thing I do . God will intervene for me both at times unexpected and others in my desperation for His influence and touch both for my self and others . And though my perspective is limited, His is not ,so no matter what I'm going through, and even should I die, I am not alone and have my friend waiting for me. I have numerous friends/acquaintances and family enduring their own tests of life, and dealing with it in their own way . I often feel that I have an unfair advantage ,but it's one I had chosen years ago initially to escape the wages I was due for my behavior ,but later in life that relationship blossomed into something living and extraordinary and wonderful . I have Hope but more than hope but a continued journey moving in the unknown. Though blind and ignorant on my part, having God's hand holding mine there is nothing to fear . I have a good friend I drive to dialysis every other day ,we share a similar faith she knows too, this life is but a short visit , compared to the eternal expectations of our faith. Though she'd like to be free of the many things that inflict her body , her faith is unshaken and her concern is greater for those whom are unaware of eternity .
@Marvin L. Steinhagen my heart goes out to you and your wife. I do not know what to say. I am hoping some of the monkeys will share what they do and how they address these things. My Dad just had colon cancer. He was able to get it cut out and he got his lung drained also. I am thankful for my Dad's girlfriend because she helped so much with the calls, schedules etc. but she had bad cataracts and had surgery on her eyes. They staggered their operations hoping one of them could always drive. He had surgery for his cancer then she for her eyes. When both were down and unable to drive, we drove them plus we are blessed that all family (even distant relations) stepped up and said they would help with anything. I think that was the hardest for Dad was having his Ex brother in-law drive him home from the hospital. He never wants to be a bother. I think many people are willing to help someone who is ill. I think talking about it is hard but saying yes I will help, is easy. Not sure if that makes sense-
Prayers outbound for your and your wife. May you find strength to do battle against that which plagues you. Lucky here that I and my wife are well, but it has been difficult for me since I do not regularly visit the doctor, I have been dropped from the system. So I am paying over $10K a year for health insurance I cannot use without jumping through a series of inconvenient hoops. It was never like this until I became 65 and was forced onto Medicare!
I think Arleigh said it very well. My father spent the last year of his life dying from cancer at home when I was young. I watched him go from a big, healthy, vital man to, literally, skin and bones, while my mother cared for him after the doctors gave up. About all that did for me was not to want to die slowly and be a burden to my family. My only child died of cancer and she faced it head on. When she was dying and the doc gave her a shot for the pain, it hurt and she chewed him out, then died in my arms while I was holding her. She had no fear of anything and that always scared me half to death. And that included no fear of dying either, she knew where she was going and said she would wait for me. A good friend of mine got lung cancer and when I asked him why he didn't get an operation or treatment (not that the doctors offered any hope, but still...) he simply said that he knew where he was going and had no fear of death as his name was written in the Book of Life. Death, no matter how much we fear it is a part of life. The Bible said not to grieve for the dead but to rejoice because their pain, fear and suffering is over. Got to go, I'm at the library and tears are running down my face. I will keep you in my prayers. Remember, the problem is not dying, as everyone and everything dies, it is not having lived.
Thank you everyone who has responded. I guess I was looking to expand my support group (selfish of me, I know). Faith helps a great deal. This isn't the first set-back I have faced but it looks to be the hardest one in my life. Your words helped. 73's to everyone out there.
I've been lucky throughout life with basically good health and sound mind , in my opinion anyway. I know many others that have suffered thru life, and their courage was astonishing. But as I reach my older years, the ones I never thought I would live to see, my body is starting to let me know I am on my downhill stretch. I wish you and your wife all the best, and hope all your ailments will soon vanish and your last few years on this earth will be painless and worry free , just as things were in your carefree years. God has his plan for us, sometimes I wonder why he makes some suffer so much, and others so little. Doesn't seem fair sometimes. God bless.
