I'm back!

KevinL

KevinL

New Member
Hello brothers! I want to apologize for joining this site and then disappearing. It wasn't by choice. I was actually diagnosed with cancer in August of 2011, and I had to leave New York and move home to Pa to be with the family. It ended up being stage 3. I had a few surgeries and a year of immunotherapy. But I'm fine now, and there's been no evidence of disease since surgery. So I'm back from a dark place and I hope to be participating much more in the discussions here. I'm also excited to get back to my lodge in New York for a third degree coming up. I've been offered the part of MEKS, but I'm a little nervous about accepting.

I keep a running blog about my life post-cancer. If that interests you, I'll post a link to the first post here. Feel free to look through other posts and share or do what you like! http://zenofmetastasis.blogspot.com/2013/02/metastatic-memories.html

I wrote a book about my experience with cancer also, and I'm currently shopping around for a publisher. I knew a few people in NY that could help but nothing solidified from that. I'm also finishing up a short story collection to throw on Amazon to help regroup financially. I'll be sure to let you know when that's available.

Thanks in advance for the support, my brothers. I hope this message finds you all well. Take care, and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

S&F,
Kevin Lankes
 
KevinL

KevinL

New Member
Thanks for the support, brothers! I've indeed been trying to keep busy through all this. I did shut down for a while thought as a way of coping, but I've also been able to get a lot done and sort out my life as well.
 
2SONDAD

2SONDAD

Husband, father, son, Mason.
KevinL said:
Hello brothers! I want to apologize for joining this site and then disappearing. It wasn't by choice. I was actually diagnosed with cancer in August of 2011, and I had to leave New York and move home to Pa to be with the family. It ended up being stage 3. I had a few surgeries and a year of immunotherapy. But I'm fine now, and there's been no evidence of disease since surgery. So I'm back from a dark place and I hope to be participating much more in the discussions here. I'm also excited to get back to my lodge in New York for a third degree coming up. I've been offered the part of MEKS, but I'm a little nervous about accepting.

I keep a running blog about my life post-cancer. If that interests you, I'll post a link to the first post here. Feel free to look through other posts and share or do what you like! http://zenofmetastasis.blogspot.com/2013/02/metastatic-memories.html

I wrote a book about my experience with cancer also, and I'm currently shopping around for a publisher. I knew a few people in NY that could help but nothing solidified from that. I'm also finishing up a short story collection to throw on Amazon to help regroup financially. I'll be sure to let you know when that's available.

Thanks in advance for the support, my brothers. I hope this message finds you all well. Take care, and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

S&F,
Kevin Lankes
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As a two time survivor, I welcome you back too, Brother.
 
Bob Franks

Bob Franks

Past District Deputy Grand Lecturer
BigGameJames said:
Cancer Runs big in my Family. I should go tested. I migth stand a chance of getting it. They need to find a cure for this.
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I wish it was just a "this!" Unfortunately, last time I heard there were 156 different types of cancer. Lucky for me basal cell carcinoma of the skin is easily treated by complete excision.

Our bodies walk a fine line between premature cell death leading to aging and cell immortality leading to malignancy.

S&F
 
KevinL

KevinL

New Member
It's a terrible disease. I talk about it a lot in my blog. How it made me feel, and how it affects survivors and their families and friends. I'm actually really glad to find some brothers who are also survivors. Not glad because you had it, but you know what I mean. I haven't found anyone in my lodge that's a survivor, and I don't really have a lot of survivor friends.

BigGameJames, I'm sorry to hear about your aunt. I think the media puts to much focus on beating cancer, like it's a game we can win if only we try hard enough. But that's not how it works. Sometimes it doesn't respond to treatment, and people don't make it. I think that's a problem with the cancer movement, people are labelled heroes for surviving cancer, and that isn't even remotely fair. It suggests that people who didn't make it are failures, and the only thing they did wrong was get an incurable disease. The culture really has to change here. And yes, don't mess around! Make sure to get screened.

Bob W., I'm sorry to hear you're a two time survivor. I can't imagine getting this news again. It really shakes up your whole world. I had to pick up and move home to Pa from NYC, where I'd been living and working for two and a half years. I was 25 when I was diagnosed. I was just starting out and I was exploring a lot of great opportunities.

Bob Franks, make sure to keep getting screened also. If you already had Basal Cell you should make sure to watch for Melanoma. Melanoma is actually what I had, and a lot of people are under the impression that it's "just skin cancer," when actually it's one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer there is. So be mindful, brother. I had pictures taken of my entire body with all the curious moles labeled and tracked. And my oncologist checks them every four months to make sure they haven't changed. See if a dermatologist around you does that kind of imaging. It's getting pretty common now.

Again, thanks for all the support and kind words. I'm doing my best to get back on my feet after this, and it helps to have so many good brothers and friends in my corner.
 
BigGameJames

BigGameJames

Member
Another thing that can kill you faster. Is the depression my grandma was really depressed during her final days. She just really tired off she was ready to go. There times were she wouldn't even get out of bed wouldn’t eat she lost a lot of weight a lot. We go over see every chance got just to cheer her up. And that made her happy we would take out to eat out to casinos and she had fun. But last weekend we went see her before her death was during final days we just sat and visited with her. The next weekend we went is when she died.:(
 
Bob Franks

Bob Franks

Past District Deputy Grand Lecturer
KevinL said:
[snip]
Bob Franks, make sure to keep getting screened also. If you already had Basal Cell you should make sure to watch for Melanoma. Melanoma is actually what I had, and a lot of people are under the impression that it's "just skin cancer," when actually it's one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer there is. So be mindful, brother. I had pictures taken of my entire body with all the curious moles labeled and tracked. And my oncologist checks them every four months to make sure they haven't changed. See if a dermatologist around you does that kind of imaging. It's getting pretty common now.[snip]
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Good advice!
I saw my dermatology PA Q6 months for a couple of years, now annually...forever.
Too many sunburns when I was young. We all wanted "a good, healthy tan." o_O

BTW, it was pretty embarrassing that the PA (physician associate/assistant) who took off my lesion went to high school with my kids! She's a sharp one though; I doubt I could qualify for PA schools today. :D

S&F
 
Bob Franks

Bob Franks

Past District Deputy Grand Lecturer
BigGameJames said:
Another thing that can kill you faster. Is the depression my grandma was really depressed during her final days. She just really tired off she was ready to go. There times were she wouldn't even get out of bed wouldn’t eat she lost a lot of weight a lot. We go over see every chance got just to cheer her up. And that made her happy we would take out to eat out to casinos and she had fun. But last weekend we went see her before her death was during final days we just sat and visited with her. The next weekend we went is when she died.:(
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It was wonderful that you were able to stay close to your grandmother in her final days. It must be terrible to feel alone and abandoned. It is something I have had to learn as I am uncomfortable in that situation and I have had to change my thinking to consider what I can do for the sick person.

When I was in school, we had a seminar by an oncologist. One of my classmates asked what was the actual cause of death in most cancer patients. He replied, "Starvation. But it's not as bad as you think starving to death would be. If hunger is gone, starvation is a gentler way to go out."

S&F
 
BigGameJames

BigGameJames

Member
Same with my ant she gets so depressed sometimes. But her daughter doesn’t help. She don't spend any time with her mom at all. My other ant would go every weekend to see her. Then she decided move over here she can around family and leaving selfis daughter by herself.
 
BigGameJames

BigGameJames

Member
Bob Franks said:
It was wonderful that you were able to stay close to your grandmother in her final days. It must be terrible to feel alone and abandoned. It is something I have had to learn as I am uncomfortable in that situation and I have had to change my thinking to consider what I can do for the sick person.

When I was in school, we had a seminar by an oncologist. One of my classmates asked what was the actual cause of death in most cancer patients. He replied, "Starvation. But it's not as bad as you think starving to death would be. If hunger is gone, starvation is a gentler way to go out."

S&F
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It was hard see her like that. I reaaly want get well but that wasn't happing. My mom and dad was saying that they don't give very long. But i didn't want to her it.
 
BigGameJames

BigGameJames

Member
I really hate Cancer. It has tooken two people away me already. I just now found out that ant she is not doing very well. I hope shes get better:(
 
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