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By *ol_ie OP Man 23 weeks ago
Dublin west |
This might seem like a strange forum for posting this topic but it's something that needs to be said.
Earlier this week I lost a friend of 25 years to Cancer. Same age as me, 2 kids like me, similar backgrounds, likes, sports.
We had so much in common.
4 years ago I noticed something had changed when I had to go to the toilet, after a couple of weeks the situation hadn't improved and given family history of gut issues I made an appointment with the GP.
Roll on a few weeks, blood tests, ultrasound, and worsening condition I get told that I have a small tumor and I need further investigation.
So while training a few nights later I told some of my teammates what was going on with me and that I had issues I needed to get sorted. Then my friend told me he had been having similar symptoms for ages but was too scared to go to the doctor.
But we managed to persuade him to go to the GP, and a few weeks later he had a diagnosis of stage 4 bowel cancer.
Now this was at a time that we rolled into lockdown due to Covid 19, hospitals not taking appointments, but he was whisked into hospital and they started to try and shrink his tumor.
I had to wait, months and months passed with this thing growing inside me and the head melt that I knew it was getting worse but I couldn't do anything, and my buddy was in the hospital suffering, no visitors, no seeing his family other than facetime.
So eventually I got into the hospital, my one tumor had turned into 3, 5 loads of surgery over a few months, then the weekly visits to the hospital for treatment for months with me improving but my friend getting worse.
More camera's stuck up me and down me than I care to recall, but all in the quest to get me well again. And they where throwing Radio therapy and Chemo at my buddy and it just wasn't working.
So roll on 18 months and I am 15 months in remission and my friend is gone.
He lost his battle to a cruel disease.
His suffering was over, but the suffering for his family and friends continues.
The only difference in the two of us is I went earlier to the doctor than he did.
He did what lots of guys do, and told himself it was grand, it would get better.
But sometimes it doesn't.
So I urge you, especially you men in the room, when you notice something has changed, Go Get It Checked.
Sure it might be uncomfortable or embarrassing but trust me it for your own good.
And for the good of those that care about you.
Please.
Just Go Get it checked........
Be safe out there.
Sol. |
