I can understand that, Rhonda, and am feeling for you.

Cancer in all its manifestations is very common, we all know very many
people who have or have had cancer and more who will :-(

Mary

Rhonda...
I don't even know what to say. This crud is horrible at any age, but
16!!!! oh my God what a terrible thing for that girl and her family. I'm
so sorry that you're having to go through this...
Please know that I'll hold you and all those involved in my thoughts and
prayers. Again, I'm so sorry this is happening to someone so young. I
actually let out a gasp when I read your post. Definitely shocked
me...When I read your topic, I held my breath fearing that it was
something wrong with you after having gotten good news earlier this
week. But this is still truly so sad on so many levels.
Take care there dear/God bless
annie

Ultimately.....we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a
freedom.

"Courage"...is *fear* that has said it's prayers.

Hi Rhonda.  It is understable that you are in shock.  Even in a big city, it is
so unnerving to hear about so many folks being diagnosed with all kinds of
cancer.  It really makes one wonder if cancer has always been this rampant but
not diagnosed until doctors and researchers in the latter half of the 20th
century developed the methods to detect them in people of all ages and around
the world.  IMHO, cancer has always been with us, but not diagnosable or
treatable because humankind just didn't know how to do so nor did they
understand that cancer is a broad range of diseases and exhibits itself in a
variety of ways.  

For example, my maternal grandmother's only sister died when she was only 19YO.
All my grandmother knows is that her sister stopped having her periods when
she was 17, developed some kind of disease that even ate away at the bones in
her nose and face, became unable to eat, and then died after two years of being
bedfast.  Now, we know from the sound of this description she gave of her
sister's illness that she probably had ovarian or some type of reproductive
cancer.  Hormonally-based cancers have come straight down the genetic line and
affected several of the women in our family, including myself.   Contemporary
physicians could have diagnosed my great aunt in just a couple of days' work
and attempted aggressive treatment, but around the turn of the 20th century
when she lived even the doctors had no tools to diagnose or treat the fatal
cancer she had.  

I'm thankful we have the diagnostic and treatment tools now, aren't you?  Just
keep praying for those folks you hear about being diagnosed with cancers of all
types.  They need all the support they can get.

Janice A.
Stage IV Metastatic Breast CA