Progression
Seven years on and awaiting more scan results tomorrow. Goodness knows how many there have been.
The number of people who have attended each one, the many skills involved and how far techniques and technology have progressed. Remembering the money and time it has all cost.
The word progression has two meanings in cancer.
The good stuff is research, trials, constant testing, new data, fundraising, endless marketing and advertising, with regular positive updates and better results. The cancer word becoming acceptable in everyday speak. This all means less heartache, less pain, and more hope for all those involved with the treatments, in theory.
The bad stuff is when you actually have cancer, it is not a word you want to hear. It means tumours have either grown or stopped reacting to treatment, reducing the chances of further action. Another drug may be offered with different risks and side effects to manage and new terminology that keeps you on a knife edge constantly.
At the beginning of the journey, you know absolutely nothing about any of this, without previous experience, it is a minefield in a frightening, exclusive world of unbridled emotion, wakeful nights, nervous chats, dark humour and the searching of unfamiliar words online, desperate for an answer.
I do not have cancer, but my husband does.
Without the first description of the word progression, the second one would, most certainly, be far more common and destructive which is why I am personally so grateful for all the work, time and commitment displayed by cancer research teams, particularly in our case, the Royal Marsden Hospital, London. Without them we would not be seven years on from that first unforgettable day, so thank you.
May you all be able to progress with the good in order to reduce the bad.
June 2022
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