Frank said:
Right - if the chances are poor. I consider the chances of
recovering from lung/liver cancer very poor.
He doesn't have lung or liver cancer, he has colon cancer, with
matastasies to liver and lungs. It's an important distinction, because
the cancer's behavior is determined by the cells that originally gave
rise to it. Those are the cells that have travelled and taken root,
causing new tumors elsewhere.
My g.f.'s granny had colon cancer with matastasies to her liver,
years ago, and was given 6 months to live, assuming treatment. She
preferred not to be treated, lasted three years nonetheless, and was in
decent shape for most of that.
My g.f. says her granny was a tough old bird who simply wasn't ready
to go. She was annoyed at the doctor's death sentence, and determined
to prove him wrong. She was old though--mid 80's--wearied, and passed
later, when she was darn good and ready.
Give hope, but not false hope.
Right. The fact is Jim's kid is in a hellua fix, however, it is also
a fact that well-supported non-stressed people recover from
standardized wounds 9 days faster than age-matched Alzheimer's
care-givers. Fearful patients going into surgery have much higher
infection rates (don't have the figures handy). Attitude makes a huge
difference.
My mom's seen it all -- she's been treating cancer patients nearly as
long as Jim's been designing electronics. She often reports that
patients who are involved in and participate in their care fare *much*
better. Often, she spots them, and knows who'll do well and who won't.
Patients who merely show up to be worked on, passively, like bringing
their car to a mechanic, don't do as well. Patients who are distraught
don't fare as well.
Why? Poorly understood, of course. Scads of hard science shows fear
and distress measureably and dramatically suppress immune function,
while prayer, meditation, and visualization improve it. Maybe that's
why. Or maybe not. But it's real.
The upshot is that Jim's kid *can* improve his chances a lot simply
by choosing to.
Heartfelt best wishes to Jim and family,
James Arthur