Health

Lately I've been following several blogs that chronicle the ups and downs of kids diagnosed with cancer. These kids are usually under the age of 5, and many of them have since lost their fight with a disease that showed them no mercy. While I didn't know any of these families personally, each loss has left me more than a little sad.

Although I really enjoy science and research, I've never been interested in cancer research. I don't really understand why as cancer has played a huge role in my life. Maybe I've just wanted to avoid a disease that I seem to be incredibly predisposed to.

What really affects me is the fact that lately, so very many people I know or know about are not only getting diagnosed with cancer, many of them are not surviving. I think out of everyone I know, only my mom and Jeremy's stepmom have actually overcome their diagnoses. I don't know the extent of his stepmom's disease, but I know that my mom was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. The fact that she is cancer free and has been for the last 10 years is beyond amazing. This means that her risks for relapse have decreased back to that of a person whose never been diagnosed.

Other than cancer though, I now have several family members who are in not so good health, and that scares me. With all the loss we've experienced in the last year, I don't know that I'm equipped to deal with any more. It's selfish of me because I want the people I know to stay healthy so I can spend more time with them, but it's how I feel.

I suppose that this is just a part of growing up and getting older, but it suck.