The Big "C"

Apparently this is my 100th post. Not really that exciting, but something worth noting.

I spoke with my mom yesterday afternoon and she told me that during a visit to the dermatologist, my father had a biopsy done. He was having some marks on his arm checked out. Those looked fine, but the doctor noticed something on his ear. He was suspicious of skin cancer and conducted a biopsy.

I know that in the "big picture," skin cancer can be one of the most curable forms of cancer (aside from melanoma), so there probably is no reason to worry. However, I know that I, along with the rest of my family, is still scarred from my aunt's battle with cancer. Yes, it was advanced. Yes, it was incredibly aggressive. But (and this is a big but), at one point that asshole oncologist looked her in the eyes and told her she was cured - she would never again get cancer in her life. Just one month later, he would look her in the eyes again and tell her there was no hope. With my family's urging, he agreed to send her to the University of Chicago for what he stated would be "the most aggressive treatment possible." Four weeks later the cancer spread to her brain. Three weeks after that, she died.

So, I don't care what anyone tells me about curable and incurable cancers. It's still the big "C," and the big "C" really sucks.