Fri • Aug 28th, 2009 • by Tom Nees • Comments 2
reflections on the death of Senator Edward Kennedy
The death of Senator Edward Kennedy from brain cancer after fifteen months of treatment including surgery unfolded in a very public way. From a distance we have watched his determination not to give in or give up and his final appeal, just a few days before he died, to change the Massachusetts law that requires a lengthy process for choosing his successor.
The Senator wasn’t as public and transparent as was Randy Pausch, a computer science professor who invited us to join him until the end of his life last year in his struggle with pancreatic cancer. His 2007 speech at Carnegie Mellon University “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” which included CT scans of his cancer, inspired his best-selling book The Last Lecture.
The news this past year has been full of Kennedy’s battle with cancer. We all knew what was going on. His death was a stark personal reminder of something I don’t often think about anymore – that I am a fortunate cancer survivor – ten years out now from prostectomy – surgery for prostate cancer.
I’ll never forget the panic upon hearing the “c” word following a biopsy and the trauma of deciding on treatment when doctors disagree. With the support of family and friends I made it through surgery and evidently I’m cured.
A personal faith gave me strength to survive and left me with a sense that every new day is a gift for which I’m extremely thankful.
My colleagues and good friends Bill Sullivan and Chuck Zink had cancer at about the same time. In spite of every treatment available they didn’t survive. And something I’ll never understand – their wives too succumbed to cancer within months of their passing. Nearly all of us have friends and family members who have or are battling cancer. Some have survived – others have not. Who knows why?
Whether through remarkable survivors such as Lance Armstrong or victims like Senator Kennedy we are also reminded that there is so much more to be done to find a cure for cancer.
When celebrity leaders are stricken we are unavoidably reminded of our own mortality and the uncertainty of life. We learn important life lessons vicariously. Their public lives draw us into an inevitable journey that we might otherwise ignore.
August 29th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Tom:
Now I learn we have another thing in common. Thirteen years ago, while living in Geneva, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Swiss practice of watchful waiting had allowed my cancer to become quite serious. Following the advice of US friends, who had also dealt with the problem, I decided to get a second opinion at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. After one visit, I was scheduled for immediate surgery; other options were no longer available. I had the surgery in 1996 and soon returned to Geneva to finish out my last two years. These were tough years as I was also learning to deal with the consequences of radical prostectomy. But, after all these years, I’m still kicking and show no on-going cancer effects.
I am blessed with a wonderful wife who has been on this journey with me. We continue to count each day as a gift from God.
Jim
August 29th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Jim – I hope sharing your experience here will encourage others who are facing a similar diagnosis. I remember learning that my next-door neighbor had survived what I was facing gave me courage and hope. Telling our stories as we work for a cure is the way cancer survivors give something back for the gift of life.