On August 5th, it will be exactly 4 years since I was diagnosed with cancer. I hate these anniversaries, but I can't avoid thinking about them. When I was first diagnosed, like so many others, one of the first things I did was "google" adenoid cystic carcinoma, and, as with most types of cancer, I found 5-year, 10-year, and even 15-year survival statistics for various situations. Survival depends of a lot different variables, but as I get closer to the first of those marks, it gets scary....
I've lost many friends and acquaintances to cancer, and specifically to ACC, over the past four years. The statistics can't predict who will live 20+ years from their initial diagnosis, and who will live less than a year. I've had friends do both.
I've told myself and others that the statistics don't mean much. Treatments are changing every year, the statistic are based on people who were diagnosed decades ago, and I am younger and generally in better health than most people when they were diagnosed. But it's still scary.
Three years ago, I wrote that victory no longer meant being cancer-free, but instead it meant living life well despite having cancer. So, despite being anxious about what the future will hold, I continue to live life as best I can, learning, laughing, enjoying time with family and friends. I hope you are doing the same!
