My friend died of cancer today...

[Anita18]

And I just want to tell everyone...

If you hate your job, quit.
If you hate your school, transfer.
If you're in a bad relationship, leave.
If your friends make you feel bad, make new friends and ditch the old ones.
If your family makes you feel bad, move out and lessen your contact with them.
If you always wanted a pet, move to a place where they're allowed and get one.
If you always wish you had something better, stop for a second, look around, and see what you already have.

My friend was 31. He first had symptoms a little less than 2 years ago. Pancreatic cancer moves fast. Before then, he was in school doing what he loved, and considered asking his longtime gf to marry him, but was never able to make the commitment. They broke up. It was she who called me today, immediately after receiving the news from his family.

It doesn't have to be cancer. It could be a car accident, which is obviously more common with young people than cancer is. But there's nothing like a year of cancer treatment to make you consider what you wish you could have done when you were physically able.

When you're young, you think you have plenty of time in the world, and in a way, you do. You should still plan for your future. But life is too short to be unhappy.

 

[Pink Ranger]

I'm very sorry to hear this news.

 

[Victarion]

Very thoughtful post, Anita. I'm glad to hear your advice and sorry to hear the news.

 

[Schlosser85]

 

[terry78]

Sorry for your loss, lady. I know it's rough.

 

[Orb]

I am sorry you have to through this. I know its hard. I lost a friend at New Years due to cancer and most recently a teacher I owe alot to (also by cancer). May your friend rest in peace and may the family find the strength to move on.

 

[danoyse]

I'm sorry about your friend.

 

[X-Ray]

Sorry for your loss.

I have a friend who is also 31 yrs. old and is currently fighting stage 4 cancer. Has been for a year and half now.

 

[Anita18]

Sorry for your loss.

I have a friend who is also 31 yrs. old and is currently fighting stage 4 cancer. Has been for a year and half now.

Sucks. I hope s/he's doing as well as they can.

Thanks all. I'm still running around doing post-wedding stuff - I was actually at the bank depositing an obscene amount of wedding gifts when I got the call. I don't think I'll have the mental capability of processing this until later. But I wanted to say something now. It just makes me so sad to see people just enduring things when they don't have to.

 

[KalMart]

Very sorry to hear....cancer touches everyone in some way.

Do not dwell on sadness....celebrate the life he lived and the lives he enriched, and the fact that your world is a better place for him being in it.

 

[Hotwire]

I feel your pain. I've lost too many people in my life to cancer, both grandfathers and one of my best friends while we were both in high school. It's never easy but, your words are inspiring.

 

[Piper Maru]

My condolences.

 

[C. Lee]

Sorry for your loss.....and I agree with everything you said.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. She will be 33 next month.

It's sucks having death hanging over us but it does make you treasure every day to some degree.

I am sorry for your loss but I believe you now have a guardian angel and that's the best possible advocate you can have. My grandmother (the sweetest person I ever knew) died last November and I'm certain she guides and protects me often.

Sometimes when the sun is shining through the clouds and I realize how lucky I am, I know she's smiling down from the Heavens.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, it doesn't hurt to view things this way.

Not even a little bit.

 

[Raiden]

I'm very sorry to hear about your friend's passing, Anita. I hope we will all embrace life to the fullest, and I know that I've taken little things for granted like many others have done before. I hope your friend has now find peace at last.

 

[Anita18]

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. She will be 33 next month.

It's sucks having death hanging over us but it does make you treasure every day to some degree.

I am sorry for your loss but I believe you now have a guardian angel and that's the best possible advocate you can have. My grandmother (the sweetest person I ever knew) died last November and I'm certain she guides and protects me often.

Sometimes when the sun is shining through the clouds and I realize how lucky I am, I know she's smiling down from the Heavens.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, it doesn't hurt to view things this way.

Not even a little bit.

Sucks about your wife's breast cancer too. Gah cancer just sucks!

It's a huge tease too - we tried an experiment with ovarian cancer cells from patients last week, and it didn't work. My boss knew it wouldn't work because the cells had stopped growing. "For some reason, when you take cancer cells out of people, they grow on plates for a few weeks and then stop. If only that would happen in people too....that would be nice."

Yeah, would be.

He wasn't able to Skype-crash my wedding on Saturday, because he'd already been put into an artificial coma. But I believe he was there in spirit and felt he could finally leave after it had happened. He really wanted to make it - his last email to us was of asking if he could be part of it somehow.

We found the perfect place from which to send his family flowers: http://www.palais-de-la-fleur.fr/ He would have approved.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

I'm so sorry.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Very sad to hear this.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Sucks about your wife's breast cancer too. Gah cancer just sucks!

It's a huge tease too - we tried an experiment with ovarian cancer cells from patients last week, and it didn't work. My boss knew it wouldn't work because the cells had stopped growing. "For some reason, when you take cancer cells out of people, they grow on plates for a few weeks and then stop. If only that would happen in people too....that would be nice."

Yeah, would be.

He wasn't able to Skype-crash my wedding on Saturday, because he'd already been put into an artificial coma. But I believe he was there in spirit and felt he could finally leave after it had happened. He really wanted to make it - his last email to us was of asking if he could be part of it somehow.

We found the perfect place from which to send his family flowers: http://www.palais-de-la-fleur.fr/ He would have approved.

Congrats on your wedding.

Life really is a bittersweet symphony.

I was thinking about the Twilight Zone episode where the thug got everything he wanted. He won every gambling game, got away with every crime, and had women at his whim. He complained that things were too easy and he didn't like Heaven only to discover he was in hell.

My point is that life is a constant balance between the bitter and sweet.

Even too much sweet can be a bad thing. It's hard to remember this on a rainy day but things are the way they are for a reason.

 

[Rocanrol]

My mother died a few months ago from cancer as well. It sets your priorities right this kind of things.

 

[DirtyHarry]

My aunt died from cancer a few months back. The last time I saw her was a year before she died...hard to think about.

Sorry for your loss

 

[Spuzz]

Inspiring words. Cancer is unfair. May your friend's legacy live on

 

[Marvolo]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you and others can find some peace in this senseless death.

 

[The Apocalypse]

I'm so sorry. My condolences

 

[TheAQU4M4N]

Anita I am so sorry for your loss, My grandfather passed away from pancreatic cancer as well in February and I have been in quite of a slump of depression since. He was pretty much a surrogate father to me since my own father died when I was young. He taught me about so much, and gave me great life tips. I know he's definitely watching over my family like he always has, but now he can be at peace.